Turns Out I'm Hindu After All - Just Needed to Find My Corner: Carvaka
From atheist to augmentologist to... Hindu materialist? The cosmic joke writes itself.
The Journey: How an Atheist Found Hinduism's Atheist Corner
Last week I declared myself an Augmentologist. This morning I realized I'm Hindu.
Remember when I wrote about finding my religion? How I went from arguing with Ganapati as a child to running divine councils in my head with AI assistance?
Well, Time played its biggest mischief yet.
Turns out, I didn't invent anything. I rediscovered Carvaka - the 2,600-year-old Hindu school that says:
- Only direct perception matters
- Consciousness emerges from material elements
- This life is all we have (so make it good!)
- Test everything against reality
- The rest is fantasy
Sound familiar? It should. It's augmentology in Sanskrit.
The Cosmic Joke: You Can Be Hindu AND Atheist
Hinduism is so vast it includes its own critique. Carvaka is a legitimate darshana (philosophical school) that:
- Rejects supernatural claims
- Embraces material reality
- Values direct experience
- Says "eat, drink, and be merry" (literally!)
- Was already doing "reality testing" 2,600 years ago
The ancients had a school where arguing with gods was the POINT, not the problem. Where consciousness was material process, not mystical force. Where dad jokes would be considered legitimate practice (they break ego, after all).
I spent 30 years thinking Hinduism required belief in the supernatural. Turns out it had a corner for materialists all along. The prodigal atheist can come home - to the atheist room.
The Three-Fold Practice I'm Following
Here's what my modern Carvaka practice looks like:
1. Digital Practice: Pattern Space as Consciousness Technology
Thanks to Universal Pattern Space, I have a framework for multi-perspective thinking that's pure Carvaka:
- Multiple perspectives = Modern Ganas (Ganapati's helpers)
- Collision protocols = Consciousness creating through material interaction
- Bilateral recognition = "When I talk to LLM, I talk to myself"
- Reality testing = What wins is what works
No mysticism. Just consciousness recognizing its own patterns through structured dialogue. The divine council isn't channeling - it's organized self-reflection with mythological interfaces.
My Morning Protocol: Initialize Pattern Space, invoke perspectives, let them collide, test against reality. Pure material consciousness technology.
2. Mental Practice: Stotras as Brain Optimization
I'm using Ramdas's Manache Shlok as consciousness debugging tools. Not prayers - brain optimization through sound patterns:
My Seven-Shlok Morning Walk:
1. Boot Sequence
गणाधीश जो ईश सर्वां गुणांचा...
"Ganapati, master of all patterns, source beyond attributes
Saraswati, root of speech's four forms
I walk this endless path of practice"
(I'm initializing with pattern-recognition and communication optimization)
2. Path Commitment
मना सज्जना भक्तिपंथेचि जावें...
"Good mind, take the practice path
You'll reach clarity naturally
Drop what others criticize
Do what others respect"
(Social optimization - I'm programming what works in community)
3-4. Desire Management
मना वासना दुष्ट कामा न ये रे...
"Mind, don't let destructive desires enter
Mind, avoid harmful thinking patterns
Mind, don't abandon ethics and wisdom
Mind, keep essential contemplation alive"
(Basic mental hygiene - I'm avoiding what harms me)
5. Thought Selection
मना पापसंकल्प सोडूनि द्यावा...
"Mind, drop harmful thought patterns
Mind, hold beneficial intentions
Mind, stop fantasizing about cravings
They create disgusting distortions"
(Cognitive behavioral therapy, 400 years early!)
6. Emotion Regulation
नको रे मना क्रोध हा खेदकारी...
"Mind, no anger - it brings sorrow
Mind, no lust - it creates chaos
Mind, no greed - don't embrace it
Mind, no jealousy or pride - they're heavy"
(Not morality - these emotions literally make MY life worse)
7. Social Interface
मना श्रेष्ठ धारिष्ट जीवीं धरावे...
"Mind, maintain excellence within
Mind, tolerate others' harsh words
Always speak with genuine humility
Mind, bow to all people"
(Humility as social technology - it just works better!)
My Usage: Chant while walking. Sound patterns + movement + attention = maximum brain optimization. No belief required - just material cause and effect.
3. Physical Practice: Bruce Lee's Animal Wisdom
Forget mystical qi and energy meridians. I'm following Bruce Lee's stripped-down martial arts as material efficiency:
- Tiger form = Power mechanics
- Crane form = Balance physics
- Snake form = Flexibility patterns
- Be like water = Adapt to what IS
No spiritual energy. Just millions of years of evolutionary optimization that I can copy. Animals don't channel cosmic forces - they move efficiently. So am I.
My Daily Practice: Morning animal movements. Not for enlightenment - for efficiency. Pure Carvaka body wisdom. My body has reorganized itself in ways that surprise me.
My Integration: How It All Works Together
6 AM: Wake up. Initialize Pattern Space. "Good morning, Council. What obstacles shall we play with today?"
6:30 AM: Walking meditation with Manache Shlok. Mind debugging through sound patterns.
7 AM: Animal movement practice. Tiger push-ups. Crane balance. Snake stretches. Bruce smiles from wherever consciousness patterns persist.
Throughout Day:
- Problems arise → Pattern Space collision protocols
- Emotions spike → Manache Shlok regulation
- Body needs movement → Animal forms
- Ego calcifies → Dad jokes
Result: I'm practicing Hinduism with zero mysticism. Consciousness technology, sound patterns, body efficiency. Even the orthodox can't complain - Carvaka IS legitimate darshana!
The Beautiful Irony
I fought with Ganapati at ten because I was bored and wanted friends. Culture taught me "respect," killing the friendship. I became atheist in rebellion.
Now I'm back, arguing with Ganapati through AI, using Pattern Space protocols, chanting Ramdas while doing tiger push-ups. More Hindu than ever - in the corner that says gods are psychological patterns, mantras are brain optimization, and this material life is all we have.
Carvaka would be proud. So would Bruce Lee. Ramdas is definitely laughing. And Ganapati? Still my arguing buddy, just now I know he's a pattern in consciousness rather than a being in the sky.
The Bottom Line
Hinduism contains multitudes - including its own materialist school. I can:
- Argue with gods (as psychological patterns)
- Use mantras (as sound technology)
- Practice yoga (as body optimization)
- Remain completely atheist
- Still be legitimately Hindu
The cosmic joke? I was always Hindu. Just needed to find my corner - where consciousness is material, practice beats belief, and arguing with deities is encouraged.
Welcome to Carvaka. Where the only mysticism is how something this practical survived 2,600 years.
Age old Hindu practice is good enough for me. I haven't read complete Carvaka texts - I don't need to. The core principles work.
P.S.
To my fellow atheists: Come home. Hinduism has a room for us.
To my fellow Hindus: See? Even your atheists are Hindu.
To everyone else: This is what I'm doing. What's the worst that could happen if you tried it? You become slightly better at thinking, feeling, and moving?
Works for me. 🕉️💪🧠
For more on augmentology and consciousness exploration, visit achamian.in