From the perspective of the people in Shirdi, why was Baba's advice to Das Ganu so strange and unbelievable?

From the onlookers' perspective in Shirdi, Baba's advice was strange because it defied all logic and social convention. Chapter 20 explains that Das Ganu was a learned man struggling with the deep, philosophical meaning of the Shruti. The solution proposed by Baba was for this doubt to be resolved by a simple maidservant. The people reasoned, "A maidservant is just a maidservant; what education could she have?" They saw a vast, unbridgeable gap between the scholarly nature of the problem and the humble status of the person designated to solve it. For them, it was a mismatch of intellect and station. This led them to the logical conclusion that "Maharaj is only joking," as they could not comprehend the divine play, or "Lila," at work, which chapter 20 highlights as being beyond ordinary perception.