Perception as Creation
How the Founder’s Mindset Mirrors Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda
There’s a Vedantic doctrine called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda1, which means “perception creates creation.” It proposes that the world doesn’t exist objectively, waiting to be perceived. Instead, it comes into being through perception itself. There is no fixed external reality that precedes the mind. Reality is shaped by the very act of seeing.
In philosophical terms, this may seem abstract. But when placed beside the mindset of a transformative founder, it becomes surprisingly grounded.
Steve Jobs articulated this shift with remarkable clarity in a now-famous interview2. He said:
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it. You can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use.”
What Jobs described is not just a creative breakthrough. It is a shift in worldview. A realization that the world is not a rigid framework to fit into, but something that bends and responds to the clarity of human vision.
This is the essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. And it is also the heart of the founder’s mindset.
The Creative Priority of Vision
In Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, the world is not a pre-existing object that the mind encounters. The world arises in and with perception. There is no gap between seer and seen. Both appear together, projected on the screen of consciousness.
This view places perception in a generative role. It is not just interpretive. It creates what it sees.
Founders often act from the same principle. The best ones don’t wait for markets to validate their ideas. They begin with a sense of what must be built and act on it long before there is consensus. They operate as if what they see is already true, and through that conviction, they begin to shift the world around them.
Jobs described this realization as life-changing.
“The minute you understand that you can poke life, and actually something will pop out the other side… once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
The Role of the Individual in Shaping the World
Both Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi and the founder’s mindset are rooted in the idea that the world is not fixed.
In Vedanta, this understanding points toward inner liberation. If the world is a projection, then the key to freedom is clarity within.
In entrepreneurship, the same insight points toward responsibility. If the world can be shaped, then you are not merely subject to its terms. You have the power to build, to create new systems, to improve what exists.
The sage seeks to dissolve illusion. The founder seeks to rebuild what sits on top of it. But both begin from the same realization. The observer is not separate from the observed.
Acting Without Permission
Steve Jobs talked about growing up with the idea that the world is just there, and your job is to live within it, trying not to bump into the walls too much. That is a version of what Vedanta calls Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, the belief that the world exists first and we must adapt to it.
But the transformative shift happens when you begin to see the world as responsive to your vision. That is the essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi. And it is also how meaningful change begins.
You stop asking for permission.
You stop waiting for validation.
You see clearly, and you begin to build.
A Different Kind of Reality
This comparison is not about glorifying founders. It is about pointing to a deeper alignment between ancient insight and modern creativity.
In Vedanta, the world arises and dissolves within consciousness. In the creative path, the future arises and takes shape in the imagination of someone who is willing to act.
Both ask the same question.
What are you seeing? And what will you do with that vision?
Once you realize that the world is not a fixed structure, but something shaped through perception, your relationship with it changes. You are no longer a passive participant. You become a builder.
Conclusion: Seeing as a Creative Act
Steve Jobs said that once you realize you can change life, you’ll never be the same again. In Vedanta, once you realize that the world is born with the mind, you begin to step out of its grip.
In both cases, the shift is permanent. You start taking responsibility for what you see, and more importantly, for what you choose to create out of it.
The world is not waiting to be observed. It is waiting to be perceived clearly. And then, patiently, it begins to change.
Steve Jobs, “The most important thing.” Full video on YouTube:
This is such a nuanced idea but so powerful - it can change your whole way of living once you start seeing life this way. I feel like the society we live in has conditioned us to just accept things as they are, instead of realizing that we can shape them. But I think a lot of people are questioning society - it’s a slow change. Also, I like how you’ve connected Vedanta to modern life. Very well-articulated!