How did Sai Baba use the deity Vitthal as a means to guide and correct his devotees' paths?

Sai Baba masterfully used the figure of Vitthal to guide his devotees, as shown in two distinct stories from Chapter 4. In the case of Saheb Dixit, Baba confirmed Dixit's private meditative vision of Vitthal, reinforcing the validity of his spiritual experience and demonstrating Baba's own omniscience. For Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar, Baba took a more corrective approach. He called out Bhagwantrao for neglecting the worship of the family's Vitthal idol and for skipping his father's Shraddha. By stating that this neglect left both Vitthal and himself hungry, Baba re-established the importance of these duties, effectively using the devotee's connection to Vitthal to steer him back onto the path of righteousness and familial responsibility.