Karna, in the great epic Mahabharata, offered his impenetrable armor and earrings that were attached to his body by birth. He did that not because he had to but because he cared about his Kshatriya dharma. Every morning at sunrise, Karna would give anything he was asked of. He was called danveer, the courageous philanthropist. This is the highest level of patronage and we call it philanthropy. Not for the faint hearted.

King Bali had been forewarned that the alm seeking monk was Vishnu himself. But that did not stop Bali from giving what Lord had asked of him: three footsteps of land. In two steps, Lord Vamana measured the entire span of the universe and then asked Bali where he should place the third step. “My head, Lord, is still there,” Bali said. So great was his charity that it became a verb in the vocabulary of Sanatana Dharma: Bali-daan, that is, sacrifice or charity like Bali. At Sadhana, we call these patrons our custodians.

The great archer Ekalavya was the disciple who agreed to give anything in dakshina to his guru, Dronacharaya. Guru Drona asked for the thumb of his right hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ekalvya severed his thumb and placed it at his guru’s feet. His great sacrifice was instrumental in the pandavas’ victory against adharma. At Sadhana, we call them warriors of dharma.