It follows that the root cause of Janma (human birth) is Karma (action). When your actions are good, you obtain a good birth. Your birth is the result of your actions. The nature of one’s birth determines one’s attachments and aversions. The attachments of a good person (by birth) are to God and the godly way of life. He yearns for God, adores God and worships God. (SSS Vol.21, pp. 72-73)
Man suffers from two types of ills – physical and mental. One important fact about these two types is illness is that the cultivation of virtue cures both. Physical health is a prerequisite for mental health and mental health ensures physical health. The body and the mind are closely interrelated. A healthy body is the best container for a healthy mind. The material life and spiritual life are like the two pans of a balance; both have to be attended to in equal measure, at least until a certain stage of spiritual progress is attained. Cultivation of spiritual insight bestows upon man an attitude of generosity, fortitude in the face of adversity, a spirit of enthusiasm to do good and to be of service to the best of his capacity. These virtues strengthen both the mind and the body. (SSSm Vol.5, p. 249)
Well or ill
The Aarogya-nilayam (hospital) is superfluous if the Ananda-nilayam (the abode of bliss) is efficiently utilised by you, for when the mind is immersed in Ananda, the body will not suffer from illness. The body is the vehicle which you have to use for attaining the state of bliss and so, it has to be kept safe and strong for that high purpose. It is an instrument for spiritual effort, which has been earned by the merit of previous births. Every moment, it is proceeding towards dissolution and so time should not be wasted in vain pursuits. It is even better to think of the body as mean and low, rather than raise it to the level of the be-all and end-all of life. Treat it as a wound, which has to be covered by bandage (clothes), treated with drugs (food) and washed (drink); you can get rid of this inordinate attachment, only by that method.
You can get real urge and inspiration to serve others only when you get rid of the identification with the body. When a man suffers from acute stomach pain, his eyes water. Why? Because, the various organs---eye, stomach, etc.---are all of the same body. So too, when one man suffers, your eyes must shed tears and you must be urged to alleviate it. This will happen if you know that you and he are limbs of the self-same Divine Body. The idea of difference (bheda bhava), arises on account of the ignorance of the Truth. When people get angry, they gnash their teeth, but, they take care not to bite the tongue, for the tongue is theirs; if by chance, the tongue is bit, they do not knock the teeth out, for the teeth is theirs. So too, the sick man, the poor man, the suffering man, the illiterate man, the wicked man, are all limbs of the same body, of which we too are parts. The same current activates all. To realise this and to merge in that Unity is the purpose of this life in the human body. (SSS Vol.5, pp. 44-45)