Editing Charvaka (section)

==Etymology and meaning==
The etymology of Charvaka (Sanskrit: चार्वाक) is uncertain. Bhattacharya quotes the grammarian [[Hemacandra]], to the effect that the word cārvāka is derived from the root {{transliteration|sa|carv}}, 'to chew' : "A Cārvāka chews the self (carvatyātmānaṃ cārvākaḥ). Hemacandra refers to his own grammatical work, Uṇādisūtra 37, which runs as follows: mavāka-śyāmāka-vārtāka-jyontāka-gūvāka-bhadrākādayaḥ. Each of these words ends with the āka suffix and is formed irregularly."{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2011|pp=166–167}} This may also allude to the philosophy's hedonistic precepts of "eat, drink, and be merry".{{sfn|Isaeva|1993|p=27}}

Others believe it to mean "agreeable speech" or pejoratively, "sweet-tongued", from Sanskrit's {{IAST|cāru}} "agreeable" and {{IAST|[[vāc]]}} "speech" (which becomes {{IAST|[[vāk]]}} in the nominative singular and in compounds). Yet another hypothesis is that it is eponymous, with the founder of the school being Charvaka, a disciple of Brihaspati.{{sfn|Sharma|1987|p=40}}

===As Lokayata===
According to claims of [[Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya]], the traditional name of Charvaka is Lokayata.{{sfn|Chattopadhyaya|1992|p=1}} It was called Lokayata because it was prevalent ({{transliteration|sa|ayatah}}) among the people ({{transliteration|sa|lokesu}}), and meant the world-outlook of the people. The dictionary meaning of Lokāyata (लोकायत) signifies "directed towards, aiming at the world, worldly".{{sfn|Isaeva|1993|p=27}}{{efn|See {{transliteration|sa|loka}} and {{transliteration|sa|ayata}}, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, Germany; (लोक, loka which means "worlds, abode, place of truth, people", and आयत, āyata means "extended, directed towards, aiming at"{{sfn|Stöwe|2003}} }}

In early to mid 20th century literature, the etymology of ''Lokayata'' has been given different interpretations, in part because the primary sources are unavailable, and the meaning has been deduced from divergent secondary literature.{{sfn| Bhattacharya|2011|pp=187–192}} The name Lokāyata, for example, is found in [[Chanakya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'', which refers to three ''ānvīkṣikīs'' (अन्वीक्षिकी, literally, examining by reason,{{sfn|Hacker|1978|p=164}} logical philosophies) – [[Raja Yoga|Yoga]], [[Samkhya]] and Lokāyata. However, Lokāyata in the Arthashastra is not anti-Vedic, but implies Lokāyata to be a part of Vedic lore.{{sfn| Bhattacharya|2011|pp=188–190}} Lokāyata here refers to logic or science of debate (''disputatio'', "criticism").{{sfn| Bhattacharya|2011|pp=27, 189–191}} Rudolf Franke translated ''Lokayata'' in German as "logisch beweisende Naturerklärung", that is "logically proving explanation of nature".{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2011|p=188}}

In 8th century CE Jaina literature, ''Saddarsanasamuccaya'' by Haribhadra,{{sfn|Chapple|2003|p=2}} ''Lokayata'' is stated to be the Hindu school where there is "no God, no [[samsara]] (rebirth), no karma, no duty, no fruits of merit, no sin."{{sfn|Haribhadrasūri |1989|p=}}

The Buddhist Sanskrit work [[Divyavadana]] (ca. 200–350 CE) mentions ''Lokayata'', where it is listed among subjects of study, and with the sense of "technical logical science".{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2011|pp=193–195}} [[Shantarakshita]] and [[Adi Shankara]] use the word ''lokayata'' to mean materialism,{{sfn|Radhakrishnan|Moore|1957|pp=227–249}}{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2011|pp=196}} with the latter using the term Lokāyata, not Charvaka.{{Sfn|Bhattacharya|2002|p=6}}

In Silāṅka's commentary on ''Sūtra-kṛtāṅgna'', the oldest Jain Āgama Prakrt literature, he has used four terms for Cārvāka, namely, (1) Bṛhaspatya (2) Lokāyata (3) Bhūtavādin (4) Vāmamārgin.{{sfn|Joshi|1987|p=}}