A person with gratitude is meritorious and an ungrateful person is a sinner. Throughout your life, never forget even a small help that someone has rendered to you. Remember that you are who you are because someone helped you in the past. The word Paropakara (helping others) is a combination of three terms – Para + Upa + Kara. Para = Atma; Upa = Near and Kara = action. The objective of your meritorious deeds must be to progress nearer to God. The same Divine (Atma) is present in you and everyone. Do not perform noble deeds with the feeling that you are doing charity. Real Paropakara is to act with faith and do meritorious acts to serve the Divine in others, without entertaining feelings of division and difference. Understand clearly that physically harming or injuring others is not the only sin, but seeing others as different from the Divine within you is also sin. You may be different individuals in bodies, but the Lord within is One.

- My Dear Students, Vol 3, Ch 14, 'The Glorious Childhood Days'.