Caravkas went too far

In their criticism of the excesses of the brahminical ritualism, the materialistic views of the caravakas lost because they went too far. They negated not only the existence of god but all that is noble in the human condition, of the concept of right and wrong, of the role of inference in thought and the existence of the soul. It still has a place as a school of thought because it was the first protest movement that culminated in the self examination, intellectual debate and ultimately the reformation and renaissance of vedic hinduism.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phrases of Benediction or Blessing in Sanskrit; From Kaldiasa

Ever wonder how the elders would come up with a Sanskrit couplet in blessing when someone asks for their blessing. Do you wish you were able to come up with a short blessing in Sanskrit for various occasions? Here are some phrases of benediction or blessing in Sanskrit. Most of these are from Kalidasa's Abhigyana Shakuntalam. दीर्घायुष्मा न् भव May you have a long life. दीर्घसुमङगली भव May your remain a married woman for very long! ययातेरिव र्शर्मिष्ठा भर्तुः बहुमता भव Like Sharmishtha was for Yayati, may you be the beloved of your husband To a pregnant woman: वीर प्रसविनी भव May you give birth to a child who will be a warrior To a young and illustrious  man: वत्स चिरं जीव | पृथ्वीं पालय | Son may you live long and rule the world. वत्स अप्रतिरथो भव Son be an unrivaled warrior To a young woman who seeks  blessings along with her husband and son: वत्से, आखण्डल समो  भर्ता,  जयन्त प्रति...
Read more

Nine gems of the Sundarakanda: Praise to Hanuman when he slays Simhika the demon who emerges from the sea to stop him.

Hanuman leaps across the ocean to reach Lanka, unstoppable by any obstacle. Simhika a demoness arises from the ocean with the intent of devouring him. She immobilized his shadow and hindered his movement.  He greatly increased the size of his body prompting Simhika to open her mouth wide. He then quickly contracted his body entered her mouth and destroyed her entrails with his sharp nails. He emerged destroying simhika and resumed his flight. All the creatures in the sky gathered to sing Hanuman's praise thus: यस्य त्वेतानि चत्वारि वानरेन्द्र  यथा तव | धृतिर्दृष्टिर्मतिर्दाक्ष्यं  स कर्मसु न सीदति || (सॊमाय) yasya tvetAni catvAri vAnarendra yatha tava  | DhritirdRShTirmatirdAkshyam  sa karmasu na sIdati || 5-1-198/216 (Moon) यस्य= he who, जिसका   तु = तो; एतानि चत्वारि= these four, यह चार;  वानरेन्द्र = o! prince among the apes,  यथा तव = as is yours , जैसे आपका है ; धृति= courage , धैर्य;  दृष्टि= vision, दूरदर्शिता;  मति = wis...
Read more

The Beauty of the Vows in a Hindu Wedding Ceremony

Image
When we think of the Hindu wedding ceremony, the image that comes to mind is one of endless smoke-laden torture of the bride and groom and the ennui of meeting with an infinite number of forgotten relatives and friends-of-friends. The only fun and meaningful aspect of the wedding appears to be the song and dance with the baraat and sangeet and the opportunity to dress up. In fact, the bride and groom appear to be mere figureheads for what seems to be a function for the family and the community at large. At first sight, it looks so different from a church wedding with its simple elegance and with the most critical moment belonging exclusively to the bride and groom saying their vows. In Muslim marriages, the bride at least gets to say 'qubool hai' (it is acceptable) the Hindu woman never seems to be asked her opinion about the wedding. In actual fact, the Hindu wedding is for the most part, not a religious ceremony but a beautiful conversation between the bride and ...
Read more