How far-reaching was Sai Baba's influence, and how did people generally respond to him?

As explained in Chapter 4, while Shirdi was the center of Sai Baba's physical presence, his field of influence was incredibly vast. His spiritual reach extended far beyond the village to regions like Punjab, Calcutta, Hindustan, Gujarat, Deccan, and Kanara. His greatness spread from village to village, beckoning devotees from all over. People were drawn to him for various reasons; the text notes that some would pray to him with 'True Faith' seeking fulfillment of their wishes, while others found immense peace and comfort simply from having his sight, or darshan, feeling comforted just by seeing him.