A story in the Vedas speaks of three categories of beings created by God. Devas or gods, danavas or mighty beings (though they may not be spiritual), and humans are considered the weakest of the three. When asked how to conduct themselves to avoid conflict, God gave each group just one word: “Da.”
For Devas, who were created to enjoy a disease-free and deathless existence, it meant control of the senses or Dama. For the Danava, who was blessed with immense power, God prescribed Daya or kindness/mercy. But for humans to be able to live their life of dharma, he prescribed Dana or charity.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 Shloka verse 5, Bhagavan Krishna says:
yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat
yajño dānaṁ tapaśh chaiva pāvanāni manīṣhiṇām
Actions based upon sacrifice, charity, and penance should never be abandoned; they must certainly be performed. Indeed, acts of sacrifice, charity, and penance are purifying even for wise people.
Your actions in life depend on your category. You see, we all carry each of the above categories in us. We are devas when we indulge in our senses and pleasures, and danavas when we exert our power, influence, and dominance on people weaker than us. And then, for the most part, we are the weak humans slaves to being devas and danavas. So we should ask ourselves, can our action be a yajna or sacrifice to uphold our dharma?
When we act based on what we are inclined to in that given moment, control our senses when we are tempted, stay humble when we are in a position of power, or offer detachment through charity, a part of our being begins to align with His divine plan. We begin to get cleansed from within.
Can your actions transform you? If your actions align with dharma, kindness, mercy, and detached offering, you begin to experience freedom from expectations. Your journey towards sattva begins, and you transform into a mirror image of the divine!