Describe how Sai Baba initially provided aid to the people of Shirdi and what his practices later evolved into.

In his early days, Maharaj's service to the community was centered on physical healing. As Chapter 0 describes, he would distribute medicine to people and never accepted any money for it. His compassion was such that if he found a patient who was not being cared for properly, he would personally step in to provide nursing and care. The text notes that many people who were treated by him in this manner were still around. Later, Maharaj's methods evolved; he stopped giving medicine and instead began to give out only Udi, or holy ash, from his fire, which people found also brought them benefits.