What is Charvaka?
'''Charvaka''' (Sanskrit: चार्वाक; IAST: Cārvāka), also known as '''Lokāyata''', was an ancient school of Indian [[materialism]]. It rejects religious authorities like the [[Vedas]] and opposes [[Hinduism]]. It was a materialistic and atheistic school of philosophy. Along with [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]], it was one of the three major [[nastika]] schools of Indian philosophy. == Teachings == The school holds direct perception, empiricism, and conditional inference as proper sources of [[knowledge]], embraces philosophical skepticism, and rejects ritualism and supernaturalism. It also rejects supernatural concepts like [[God]], the [[soul]], and metaphysical concepts like the [[Afterlife]] ([[reincarnation]]) and [[samsara]]. It used to be a popular belief system in ancient India, although Charvaka doctrine disappeared by the end of the [[medieval period]]. Its onetime importance is confirmed by the lengthy attempts to disprove it found in both [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] philosophical texts, which also constitute the main sources for knowledge of the doctrine. Charvaka also rejects the [[caste]] system. === Lost teachings and texts === Much of the primary literature of Charvaka, and the Barhaspatya sutras, were lost either due to waning popularity or other unknown reasons. However, there is text that may belong to the Charvaka tradition, written by the skeptic philosopher Jayarāśi Bhaṭṭa, known as the Tattvôpaplava-siṁha, that provides information about this school, albeit unorthodox. Charvaka rejects caste system. During the Sramana movement in the first millennium BCE, when Buddhism was established by [[Gautama Buddha]] and Jainism was re-organized by Parshvanatha, the Charvaka philosophy was well documented and opposed by [[Hinduism]] and the other two ''nastika'' schools. === Differences between other non-Vedic schools === Unlike other major Nastika religions or philosophies like Jainism and Buddhism, which are dharmic philosophies, Charvaka is not a dharmic philosophy because it reject