How did Sai Baba explain why he took money from one man from Goa but refused it from his friend?

When confronted by Shama about his seemingly partial behavior, Sai Baba offered a profound explanation as detailed in Chapter 36. Baba stated, 'Shama, you don't know; I don't take anything from anyone. Mother Masjid demands what is owed, and the giver becomes free from debt.' He reinforced his own detachment by asking what use he, a man with no family or home, would have for wealth. He then connected this event to a deeper karmic law, stating that debt, enmity, and murder are inescapable and must be settled, implying the transaction was not about money but about resolving a past-life obligation.