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Which Indian philosophical school rejected the ideas of atman, karma, and moksha?
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Indian philosophy
In the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna and the Hindu deity Krishna, who also serves as Arjuna's charioteer (as depicted in this 17th-century illustration), engaging in a philosophical dialogue.
The Indian philosophical school that rejected the concepts of atman (the self or soul), karma, and moksha (liberation) is the Charvaka school, also known as Lokayata.12
As an unorthodox and materialist tradition, the Charvakas maintained that direct sensory perception (pratyaksha) was the only valid source of knowledge. Because they could not verify the existence of a soul, an afterlife, or divine principles through the senses, they dismissed these notions entirely. Their rejection of these core tenets was based on the following:12
- Atman: They argued that consciousness is merely a byproduct of the physical body's material elements and perishes upon death, rather than being an eternal soul.12
- Karma: By rejecting the validity of inference and the authority of Vedic scriptures, they denied the moral efficacy of deeds and the causal links associated with the doctrine of karma.12
- Moksha: They rejected the concept of liberation because it was predicated on the existence of a soul seeking freedom from the cycle of birth and death, which they did not believe existed.1