Papers by Harshvardhan Pathak
Independent Preprint, 2026
This paper presents a cross-disciplinary comparative analysis between the acute, high-dose phenom... more This paper presents a cross-disciplinary comparative analysis between the acute, high-dose phenomenological breakthroughs induced by Salvia divinorum-specifically the "alternate lifetime" phenomenon-and the classical narrative of King Lavana from the ancient Indian philosophical text, the Yoga Vasistha. Utilizing a framework that bridges modern cognitive neuroscience-specifically kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) activation, claustrum disruption, and Bayesian predictive processing-with the metaphysical principles of Advaita Vedanta, we investigate how human consciousness can subjectively experience decades of continuous, sequential, and emotionally bound existence within minutes of objective clock time. Integrating precise textual data from the narrative architecture of the text, we analyze the causal mechanics of Lavana's mental Rājasūya yāga and the subsequent post-awakening physical validation of his dream topography. We argue that both the ancient text and modern psychopharmacological data point to a unified model of mind: reality and linear time are not absolute, objective containers, but rather variable outputs of a nested, procedurally generated "Reality Generation Engine" inherent to conscious awareness.
Uploads
Papers by Harshvardhan Pathak