How do the anecdotes of feeding the dog and the craving for 'kachrya' collectively demonstrate Sai Baba's union with his devotees and all beings?

Chapter 9 masterfully uses two distinct stories to illustrate the 'inner sign of oneness' that defined Sai Baba's connection to the world. The first story establishes his universal presence, where he explicitly tells a devotee that feeding a hungry dog was the same as feeding him, declaring his oneness with all creatures, from dogs to pigs to ants. The second story, concerning the eggplants, demonstrates a more intimate form of this union. Baba, without being told, develops a specific craving for 'kachrya' (fried eggplant slices), which a devotee had wished for him to eat, even though only 'bharit' was prepared. This showed his perfect awareness of a devotee's loving thoughts and desires. Together, these narratives from Chapter 9 reveal a dual-aspected oneness: a universal, philosophical oneness with all life, and a personal, intimate oneness with the hearts and minds of his devotees.