UPSC CSE Prelims 1994

Heterodox Schools of Indian Philosophy

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

'Live well, as long as you live. Live well even by borrowing, for once cremated, there is no return.' This rejection of afterlife is an aphorism of the:

Solution & Analysis

Answer: D

Concept Charvaka (or Lokayata) is the ancient Indian school of materialism that rejected the Vedas, the soul, and the concept of an afterlife.

Explanation Their core text (now lost but quoted by critics) taught that perception is the only source of knowledge. Since we cannot perceive a soul or a next world, we should focus on the pleasures of this life.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: Option D is correct. The quote reflects the quintessential Charvaka view that death is the final end ('Bhasmibhutasya dehasya punaragamanam kutah').
Logic 2: Ajivikas (C) believed in fate (Niyati). Sunyavada (B) is a Buddhist school of 'Emptiness'. Kapalikas (A) were an extreme tantric Shaiva sect. None of these were purely materialistic hedonists like the Charvakas.

Active Recall

Question

What was the Charvaka view on the Vedas?

Answer

They completely rejected the Vedas, considering them to be compositions of 'buffoons, knaves, and demons' designed to deceive the simple-minded.

Core Insight

Charvaka philosophy represents a rare and radical stream of total materialism and skepticism within the ancient Indian intellectual landscape.