Hindu Books > History > Hindu History - A Search For Our Present In History > Chapter Two : Hindu Influences on Different Communities > Vedanta, Sankhya And Lokayata

Lokayata > Page1 The Lokayata doctrine tried to explain the nature of the universe without the intervention of either God or devil. "Truth" for Lokayata Philosophers was that which could be perceived by human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch. The Hathayoga discipline which lays emphasis of making the body the first object of duty (Shariram Aadyam Khalu Dharam-Saadhanam )has many parallels with the Lokayata outlook. "Truth" for the exponents of this tradition was that which could be perceived by human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch. This kind of a down-to-earth approach necessitated recognition of the limits to human knowledge and capacity. But it also tethered the exponents of Lokayata to a realistic and convincing approach. Nothing was accepted as a matter of faith and the quest to know more about the unknown was the driving force of this school. According to the Lokayata doctrine, the universe was made up of active physical forces (like gravitation) which activated and stimulated each other. But these physical forces although active were not alive as they did not move about consciously towards any set purpose. This is where the Lokayata school differed from other philosophies which interpreted the "active" quality of these forces as proof of their being "alive".

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