Carvaka, also frequently transliterated as
Charvaka, and also known as lokayata, is a thoroughly materialist and atheist school of thought with ancient roots in
India. It appears to have died out sometime after
1000. Its principal works are known only from fragments cited by its
Hindu and
Buddhist opponents. Those quotes which survive indicate a strong anti-clerical bias, accusing brahmins of fostering religious beliefs only so they could obtain a livelihood. The proper aim of a Charvakan, according to these sources, was to live a prosperous, happy, and productive life in this world.