How did Sai Baba's advice on eating contrast with common ascetic practices like fasting for devotion?

Sai Baba's advice on eating was a direct contradiction to the common ascetic practice of fasting for devotion. As detailed in Chapter 32, his principle was, "first tie bread to the waist" before contemplating spirituality. This is exemplified by the story of Mrs. Gokhale, who intended to fast for three days, a traditional sign of piety. Baba, however, believed this was the wrong approach. He taught that the "trouble of fasting and penance" did not work with him. While she saw fasting as a path to God, Baba taught that God cannot be found on a hungry stomach and that one must first eat to pacify the soul and the senses.