“Man is the victim of many a pain; to those who identify themselves with body, life is a series of trouble and misery. But to those who know that the body is but a vehicle, these cannot cause anxiety...Bodily health is important, for ill-health affects mental poise and concentration. When the body is fit, mental functions too run smooth; when the body suffers, the mind too gets unsettled. So, this raft called body which is the only means of getting across the sea of samskara (worldly life) has to be kept in good trim.”

…Sathya Sai Baba, “The Human Raft” Discourse,  14 December 1964                             http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume04/sss04-46.pdf

“In order to deserve the sacred name, Seva, the activity must be freed from all attachment to the self and based on firm faith in the Divine resident in every being. Seva has to be considered as worshipping the form that God has assumed to give the Sevak (one who serves) the chance of worship. When a hungry Nara (man) is served a hearty meal, what is being done is Narayana (God) Seva, for, Nara is only "a form and a name" projected by Maya (human ignorance) on Narayana.”

…Sathya Sai Baba, “Equipment for Service” Discourse, 21 November 1986                     http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume19/sss19-25.pdf