How does the story of Shama's pilgrimage to Gaya connect to the story of Sai Baba buying the goats? What is the common theme?

Both the story of Shama's pilgrimage and the incident with the goats, described in Chapter 46, serve to illustrate the boundless and all-encompassing nature of Sai Baba's love and power. The chapter explicitly connects them by stating, "the essence of this whole story is that Baba's words are meaningful... and His love for devotees is boundless." It then immediately pivots, saying, "but He sees other beings also as equal; He has supreme identification with them." Shama's journey to Gaya, where he is treated with utmost respect because of Baba's grace, demonstrates Baba's profound love and care for his human devotees. The subsequent story of Baba overpaying for the goats out of compassion extends this theme, showing that his love was not limited to humans but encompassed all living creatures, for whom he felt a deep connection, even from past lives. The common theme is Baba's limitless, non-discriminating love.