Daya — the heart that feels for others

Daya — compassion — is not pity. Pity looks down; daya looks across, at eye level, and says: I feel what you feel. Guru Nanak Dev Ji showed daya when he sat with the lowest of the low, shared food with those others rejected, and listened to people no one else would hear. Bhagat Puran Singh Ji showed daya when he picked up a dying child from the street and dedicated his whole life to caring for the forgotten. Daya is the heart that moves the hands — it is what turns good feelings into good action.