Does Baba teach that spiritual attainment can be achieved without personal effort?

No, Sai Baba explicitly teaches that spiritual progress requires personal effort. In Chapter 19, he addresses the saying, 'If my Hari exists, he will give me while I am on my bed,' clarifying that this principle applies only to worldly necessities like food and clothing. He sternly warns that anyone who applies this passive attitude to spiritual matters 'will lose spiritual wealth completely.' Baba reinforces this with his own 'priceless words': 'As one sows, so shall he reap,' emphasizing that spiritual success is the direct result of one's own striving and actions.