Sedation and counter sedation - A modern day example for Adhyaropa and apavada

[V Subrahmanian]

In Adhyaropa - Apavada, there is a deliberate action to facilitate accomplishing a task and a subsequent 'cancellation' of the earlier action to complete the intended task. The classic example is the Bhagavadgita 13.13 where the Vedantic Brahman is first portrayed as endowed with the body-mind-organs of all the beings in the cosmos: Adhyāropa.  With this, the 'existence' of that inscrutable Brahman is established. Now, with a view to remove the misconception that Brahman is in fact endowed with the body-mind-organs complexes, the next verse 13.14 shows Brahman as devoid of all that was superimposed on it earlier: Apavāda. Shankara cites the nyāya: 'adhyāropa apavādābhyām nishprapancham prapanchyate'  as enunciated by the traditional masters of Vedanta. We have many examples for this in daily life like the shākhā chandra nyaya, the sthula arundhati nyaya, etc. 

Here is one where in a rescue operation the elephants are sedated to enable their retrieval from where they are trapped. Once they are out of danger they are counter-sedated to enable them to walk free. Please see the short video in this link: https://jmp.sh/GNGG1Drz

This happens sometimes in human medical treatments.  

regards

subbu