How does the story of the tiger that died at Shirdi connect to the concepts of karma and past lives?

The narrative in Chapter 31 explicitly connects the tiger's fate to karma and past lives. The text speculates that the tiger was once a meritorious person who, due to pride, insulted a devotee of Hari and was cursed to take on a cruel birth. However, a counter-curse seemingly allowed it to come to Sai's feet for liberation. Its death before Sai is presented as the culmination of this past destiny, where the debt of past karma was paid. Chapter 31 explains that through Sai's darshan, the tiger's sins were burned away, the bonds of attachment were broken, and it was freed from the cruel body's bondage, thus achieving salvation from its karmic predicament.