How did Sai Baba view wealth, and how did this influence his interactions with devotees like Mhalasapati?

According to the teachings in Chapter 36, Sai Baba consistently viewed wealth as a potential calamity and actively worked to prevent his devotees from falling into its delusion. He did not beg for money, nor did he permit his followers to do so. This principle is clearly demonstrated with his devotee Mhalasapati, who lived in hardship but was rich in renunciation. When a compassionate merchant named Hansraj tried to give Mhalasapati money, Sai Baba did not permit it. Mhalasapati himself refused the aid without his Guru's permission, showing he was hungry for spiritual goals, not money. Baba explained that he protects his devotees from being deluded by the glory of wealth.