Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c8.s3.10

c8.s3.10

Cārvāka philosophy developed in three stages. The Cārvākas were initially known as debaters, who undauntedly questioned all prevailing norms. They were nihilists. Subsequently, some of them thought of formulating a system of philosophy, which can be termed as Svabhāvavāda (naturalism). This came in the second stage. At the third stage of the development some sort of epistemology and cosmology came to be introduced. It was at this stage that the philosophers like Ajitakeśakambalin, Purāṇakaśyapa and Kambalāśvatara were associated with the system of Lokāyata. Philosophers like Purandara accepted inference also as a valid means of knowledge. In fact, the Cārvāka came to be understood as an umbrella term incorporating various groups of philosophers who opposed all orthodox philosophies and systems that created dogmas and sects. Lokāyatikas (materialists), Svabhāvavādins (naturalists) and Ucchedavādins (nihilists) — these three major schools under the Cārvākas are taken up for refutation by other philosophies. *Rāmāyaṇa* of Vālmīki is one of the earliest text that mentions the Lokāyatikas (see Chap. 2) who employed the wisdom from Ānvīkṣikī (logic, probably including Sāṁkhya and Yoga also as per the definition given by Kauṭilya — [see Chap. 2]) for misuse. Kumārila Bhaṭṭa has used the word *cārvākamata* in the sense of atheism in general.¹⁶