Chapter 12 begins to tell a story about a visitor to Shirdi. Who was this person and what was the context of their visit?

Chapter 12 introduces what it calls a "very delightful story" to illustrate the Guru's greatness. The story's protagonist is an orthodox, ritualistic Agnihotri (a keeper of the sacred fire) from the holy city of Nashik, with the surname 'Mule'. His arrival in Shirdi is portrayed as a significant event, a "rare meeting with Sai" that occurred due to the strength of his past merits. The chapter notes that his original intention was different from what transpired, but the fortunate coincidence led him to gain the benefit of being in Shirdi. This narrative is used to emphasize the teaching that one needs accumulated merit to even stay in Shirdi for a moment.