Did Sai Baba actually die? The book says he 'left the body,' what does that mean?

According to the account in Chapter 43, Sai Baba's departure was not a death in the conventional sense. The text explains that as a great Yogi, Sai Samarth could 'die at will.' He chose to consciously leave his physical form by burning 'the body in the fire of Yoga' and merging himself back into the unmanifest state. This act is described as him attaining his 'previous unmanifest state.' The chapter reassures the reader that he did not truly perish but instead stayed 'in the hearts of the devotees.' Therefore, 'leaving the body' refers to a voluntary, yogic transcendence of the material form rather than an involuntary death.