Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s5.3

c6.s5.3

The school of Cārvāka is perhaps the oldest of all philosophical systems. It was cultivated in non-Vedic traditions, although the ideas of Cārvāka philosophy are reflected in the Vedic Saṁhitās and the Upaniṣads. In *Mahābhārata*, a brāhmaṇa named Cārvāka, said to be a friend of Duryodhana, confronts Yudhiṣṭhira with disturbing questions, and is eventually killed by other brāhmaṇas. Subsequently, Śrīkṛṣṇa explains the genesis of Cārvāka and his philosophy through a story. Cārvāka accordingly was a *rākṣasa*, who attained brāhmaṇahood by performing rigorous penance.⁷⁷