How is Sai Baba's promise to return as a child compared to the story of Lord Krishna?

Chapter 43 draws a direct parallel between Sai Baba's promise to reappear and the divine appearance of Lord Krishna. Devotees remembered that Baba had told them, "As an eight-year-old child, I will appear again." This was considered a saint's sacred word. The text compares this directly to the Krishna avatar, when the "Wielder of the Discus" manifested before Devaki in prison with the "beautiful complexion of eight years." While the form is similar, the text distinguishes their purposes: Krishna's appearance was for the "removal of the earth’s burden," whereas Baba's prophesied return is for "the salvation of poor devotees."