Short Answer
Drishti Srishti Prakriya is the radical Vedantic doctrine of “Perception is Creation”—the revolutionary idea that the world has no existence apart from your perception of it. Unlike the common-sense Srishti Drishti view (which holds that the world exists and then you perceive it), Drishti Srishti asserts that creation and perception are simultaneous or identical. The world appears only when it is perceived, just like a dream. There is no independent, unperceived existence of the world. This doctrine was systematically propounded by Prakasananda in the 16th century through his work Vedanta Siddhanta Muktavali, and is considered the culmination of idealistic thought within Advaita Vedanta. It is recommended only for advanced seekers due to its difficulty.
In one line: Drishti Srishti is the view that the world exists only when perceived, like a dream.
Key points
- The doctrine means “Perception is Creation”—the world has no existence apart from perception.
- It is the radical counterpart to the more common Srishti Drishti (Creation then Perception) view.
- Systematically propounded by Prakasananda in his Vedanta Siddhanta Muktavali in the 16th century.
- It recognizes only two levels of reality: absolute (Paramarthika) and apparent (Pratibhasika).
- It is considered far more difficult to understand and is recommended only for advanced sadhakas.
Part 1: What Does Drishti Srishti Prakriya Mean?
The term “Drishti Srishti Prakriya” comes from Sanskrit. Drishti means vision, perception, or seeing. Srishti means creation. Prakriya means method or procedure. It is the “method of perception as creation”—the view that the world is created by your perception of it.
This doctrine is the radical counterpart to the more common and intuitive Srishti Drishti Prakriya. In the common-sense view, the world exists first, and then you perceive it. Drishti Srishti turns this on its head. It says: the world exists because you perceive it. There is no world out there waiting to be seen. The world comes into being at the very moment of perception.
To understand this, consider the analogy of a dream. In a dream, a world appears—mountains, people, events. While you are dreaming, that world feels real. But when you wake up, you realize that the dream world had no existence apart from your mind. It was created by your perception. Drishti Srishti says: the waking world is exactly like that dream. It exists only because you perceive it.
The following table shows the fundamental difference between the two Prakriyas:
| Aspect | Srishti Drishti Prakriya | Drishti Srishti Prakriya |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | “Creation before Perception” | “Perception is Creation” |
| Order | World exists first, then you see it | You see it, therefore it exists |
| Reality of the world | Real at the empirical (Vyavaharika) level | Only apparent (Pratibhasika) |
| Levels of reality | Three (Paramarthika, Vyavaharika, Pratibhasika) | Two (Paramarthika, Pratibhasika) |
| Difficulty | Easier to understand, for beginners | Far more difficult, for advanced seekers |
Part 2: The Two Levels of Reality in Drishti Srishti
One of the key features of Drishti Srishti is that it recognizes only two levels of reality:
1. Paramarthika (Absolute Reality): Brahman alone is absolutely real. This is the highest truth, the reality that never changes.
2. Pratibhasika (Apparent Reality): The entire world—including what we call the “waking world”—is only apparent, like a dream or an illusion. It has no existence apart from perception.
In contrast, the Srishti Drishti Prakriya recognizes a third level—Vyavaharika (Empirical Reality). This is the “reasonable” level of reality that we all share: the sun, the moon, the mountains, the tables and chairs. It is real enough for practical purposes, even though it is not absolutely real.
Drishti Srishti denies the Vyavaharika level. It insists that even the world of everyday experience is purely apparent, just like a dream. The fact that we all perceive the same objects does not prove that those objects exist independently of our minds. Ten people may mistake a rope for a snake and run away. The similarity of their perceptions does not prove that a snake exists out there. It only proves that they all have the same illusion.
The following analogy of the common dream illustrates this. Imagine ten people have the same dream. They all see the same tiger. They all wake up and describe the same tiger. Does that prove the tiger was real? No. It proves they had the same dream. Similarly, Drishti Srishti says: the shared world we all perceive is like a shared dream. It is not real; it is only an appearance.
Part 3: The Thinkers Behind Drishti Srishti
Prakasananda (16th Century): The doctrine of Drishti Srishti was systematically propounded by Prakasananda in his work Vedanta Siddhanta Muktavali (also known as Siddhanta Muktavali). He is considered the primary exponent of this school.
According to scholarly sources, Prakasananda was the first to thoroughly expound this doctrine. In the colophon to his work, he claims to be the first to present it comprehensively. His motivation was to defend Advaita from the criticism that its concept of Maya introduced a subtle dualism between Brahman (the unchanging Absolute) and Maya (the changing principle). By denying the objective character of Maya and asserting that the world is nothing more than perception, Prakasananda tried to preserve the absolute non-duality of Brahman.
The Influence of Gaudapada and the Yoga Vasistha: While Prakasananda was the first systematic exponent, the roots of Drishti Srishti can be traced to earlier thinkers. Gaudapada, the teacher of Shankara’s teacher, in his Mandukya Karika, taught the doctrine of Ajativada (no creation). The Yoga Vasistha also consistently emphasizes that the world is a mental projection, with no physical existence apart from ideas. Prakasananda drew heavily from these sources.
Two Flavors of Drishti Srishti: The doctrine has two interpretations:
- Drishti-eva-srishti (Perception itself is creation): The act of perception and the object perceived are identical. The “pot” is nothing but the thought of the pot.
- Drishti-sama-kalina-srishti (Creation simultaneous with perception): The object is created at the exact same moment it is perceived. There is no time gap between seeing and existing.
In both flavors, the core teaching is the same: the world has no independent existence apart from perception.
Part 4: The Practical Implication – Why This Doctrine Is So Difficult
Drishti Srishti is considered far more difficult to understand and accept than the common-sense Srishti Drishti view. Why? Because it goes against everything you experience. When you touch a table, you feel it. When you walk on the ground, you trust it. The idea that the table and the ground exist only because you perceive them seems absurd.
The following analogy of the movie projector illustrates the difficulty. You are watching a movie. The images on the screen seem to have a life of their own. But if you turn around, you see the projector. The projector is the source of the images. Drishti Srishti says: your mind is the projector. The world is the movie. The movie has no existence apart from the projector. This is true, but it is difficult to see while you are absorbed in the movie.
The following analogy of the dreamer and the dream illustrates this further. You are dreaming. You are walking in a dream city. The city seems real. A dream teacher tells you: “This city is a projection of your mind.” You cannot believe it. The city is too real. But when you wake up, you see it was true. Drishti Srishti is like the dream teacher’s teaching. It says: wake up. This waking world is just as unreal as that dream city. It is a projection of your mind.
Prakasananda’s explanation is that the apparent existence of objects for others is not proof of their objective reality. Just as multiple people can have the same hallucination, multiple people can have the same “waking” perception, without there being a physical object behind it.
Common Questions
1. What is the difference between Drishti Srishti and Srishti Drishti?
Srishti Drishti is the “common sense” view that the world exists before you perceive it. Drishti Srishti is the radical view that the world exists only when you perceive it.
2. Who taught Drishti Srishti?
The doctrine was systematically propounded by Prakasananda in the 16th century through his work Vedanta Siddhanta Muktavali. Its roots are found in Gaudapada’s Karika and the Yoga Vasistha.
3. Is Drishti Srishti the same as Buddhism’s Vijnanavada?
Both are idealistic, but they differ fundamentally. The Vijnanavadin regards mental activity as the final reality. The Drishti Srishti Advaitin assumes a permanent, unchanging substrate for this activity: Brahman.
4. Is Drishti Srishti more “advanced” than Srishti Drishti?
Yes. The tradition considers Drishti Srishti more difficult to understand and appropriate for advanced sadhakas (spiritual seekers), while Srishti Drishti is recommended for beginners.
5. Why did Prakasananda propound this doctrine?
To defend Advaita from the criticism that its concept of Maya introduced a subtle dualism. By denying the objective existence of the world and equating creation with perception, he tried to preserve the absolute non-duality of Brahman.
Summary
Drishti Srishti Prakriya is the radical Vedantic doctrine that perception is creation—the world has no existence apart from your perception of it. Propounded by Prakasananda in the 16th century, it is the counterpart to the more common Srishti Drishti view. It recognizes only two levels of reality: absolute (Brahman) and apparent (the world). While Srishti Drishti is more aligned with common experience and recommended for beginners, Drishti Srishti is considered the culmination of idealistic thought and is intended for advanced seekers. It likens the waking world to a dream, asserting that the objects of the waking state are modifications of Avidya and have no independent existence. You see the world, and the world exists because you see it. This is not a belief to be accepted. It is a truth to be recognized. When you wake from the dream of waking, you will see that the world was never real. Only the seer is real. That seer is you.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
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