“Remember that daya (compassion), and maya (attachment), are two different things. Attachment means the feeling of ‘my-ness’ toward one’s relatives. It is the love one feels for one’s parents, one’s brother, one’s sister, one’s wife and children. Compassion is the love one feels for all beings of the world. It is an attitude of equality. If you see anywhere an instance of compassion, as in Vidyasagar, know that it is due to the grace of God. Through compassion one serves all beings. Maya also comes from God. Through maya God makes one serve one’s relatives. But one thing should be remembered: maya keeps us in ignorance and entangles us in the world, whereas daya makes our hearts pure and gradually unties our bonds.
“God cannot be realized without purity of heart. One receives the grace of God by subduing the passions-lust, anger, and greed.”
Know Thyself 