1862.] The Charvaka System of Philosophy. 3S3 



By way of conclusion to this paper I subjoin a singular passage 

 from the Uttara Naishadha of S'ri Harsha, which puts together in a 

 compact form the principal Charvaka arguments against the authori- 

 ty of the Veda, the Smriti, and the orthodox philosophical systems. 

 S'ri Harsha (whatever his precise date*) lived late in the silver age 

 of Sanskrit literature, hut his works have a great authority in such 

 matters, as he had a profound acquaintance with every part of Hindu 

 philosophy ; and hence his poems enjoy a great celebrity even among 

 Naiyayik Pandits, who, as a rule, are generally considered to despise 

 the ' primrose path' of poetry. f 



He represents the five deities as returning to heaven from Dama- 

 yanti's Swayamvara, and on their way they meet the retinue of Kali, 

 the presiding daemon of the iron age. Foremost in the multitude are 

 seen Kama, Anger, Covetousness and Folly, and behind them follow 

 a tumultuous throng of worshippers, among whom the representative 

 of the Charvaka philosophy holds of course a pre-eminent place. 



As this host drew near, like a sea that hath burst its bounds, 



The gods heard from some one in the midst words harsh to their ears. 



" The truth of the S'ruti for the effect of sacrifices is like that which tells of 

 stones that swim ; % 



What faith can we place in it, Oh ye grey-bearded sages, that the path of enjoy- 

 ment should be left ? 



A certain Bodhisatwa has arisen to give a mortal stab to the Veda, 



Who has declared by infallible proofs that all the world is in a state of flux. § 



The daily fire, the rules of the Veda, the ascetic's vow, the sectarian mark of 

 ashes, — 



Brihaspati tells us that these are the livelihood of those who lack sense and man- 

 hood. 



Purity of caste consists in the purity of both lines of our ancestors through 

 each backward generation ; 



Then what caste can be faultless novr, divided as each is into endless families ? 



Through the contact of women, what man is there undefiled by sin ? 



Why then does the infatuated world fast and bathe debarred from enjoyment ? 



* See Dr. Hall's Vasavadatta, Preface. 



t The S'rotriya-jaranmtmunsaMdayah are excepted from the hopeful students 

 of poetry by the Sahitya Darpana. 



X This alludes to some Vaidic passage grdvdnah plavanti, which seems to have 

 become proverbial, cf. Mahaviracharitra, p. 13. 



§ Alluding to the well-known doctrine of the Buddhist sect, the Madhyamikas, 

 sarvam Jcshanikam, iraura pet. It is worth observing that S'ri Harsha, in com- 

 mon with most later Hindu authors, confounds the Buddhists and Charvakas. 



