Based on the story of Dr. Pillay, what is the role of a Guru in relation to a devotee's Prarabdha, or past karma?

The story of Dr. Pillay in chapter 34 provides a profound illustration of a Guru's role in mitigating a devotee's Prarabdha. Dr. Pillay, despite living a pure life, suffered immensely, which he himself attributed to the unavoidable fruits of past actions. While Sai Baba confirmed the principle that one cannot escape suffering due to Prarabdha, He demonstrated that a Guru can alter its manifestation. Dr. Pillay was willing to take ten future births to exhaust his karma, but Baba intervened, saying, "Why the burden of ten births? Let us suffer the consequence of only ten days by dividing it between us." This act shows that the Guru does not erase karma but, out of immense compassion, can take on a portion of the devotee's burden, condensing the suffering and making it bearable within the present life.