Sacrifice, charity, austerity, Bhagavad Gita

Every human being must cultivate sacrifice, charity and self-discipline (Bhagavad Gita)

Sacrifice, charity and austerity (Yajna, Dana and Tapas).

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of three essential characteristics that every human being must cultivate: Yajna, Dana and Tapas (sacrifice, charity and austerity/self-discipline).

In Chapter 17- The Yoga of Renunciation of Action of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna say to Arjuna:

Bhagavad Gita 18-5. Acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be abandoned, they purify the wise

Swami Vivekananda (Swamiji) referred to it in the following terms: renunciation and service, and the fire of Tapas that sustains them.

Bhagavad Gita 18-2. Renunciation, sannyasa and tyaga (Philosophy abandono fruit action)

By renunciation he did not refer so much to Sannyasa but to Tyaga (sacrifice) as the Bhagavad Gita explains in the previous verse.

In fact, he said that Tyaga and Seva (service) should be Indian national ideals, and once India had intensified these two channels, the rest will take care of itself. Both sacrifice and service imply selfless love, which Swamiji felt was the sole driving force behind all life and existence.

This is Swamiji's method: tyaga and seva, corresponding to the Yajna and Dana of the Bhagavad Gita, with the fire of Tapas as its constant sustaining force.

And this must be achieved through a combination of the four paths of yoga: Bhakti (Devotion), Jnana (Knowledge), Karma (Action) and Dhyana (Meditation).

Swamiji classified Dana (charity) into four types: anna-dana, prana-dana, vidya-dana (education) and jnana-dana. They correspond to the annamaya (physical), pranamaya (vital), manomaya and vijnanamaya (mental and intellectual) and anandamaya (Spiritual) dimensions of the human personality.

Accordingly, Swamiji's plan of action for the karma-yajna of the Ramakrishna Mission is fourfold: emergency relief, health and hygiene, education and spiritual service, which respectively fit into the four categories mentioned above.

Currently the Ramakrishna Math and Mission runs 1 university with 5 faculties, 7 higher institutes including 1 Sanskrit college, more than 500 schools of different degrees, 2 language schools, 4 polytechnic schools, 6 technical and industrial schools, 79 training schools vocational training, 100 hostels, 6 orphanages, 2 centers for the disabled, 1 Vedic education school and 129 non-formal education centres.