If Sai is beyond death, why did his body have to pass away? How should a devotee understand this event?

As explained in Chapter 43, the passing of a saint's body should not be viewed with sorrow, as the saint's true form is eternal. The text uses a powerful analogy: people may say the sun is eclipsed, but this is merely a 'defect of vision,' as the sun itself remains unchanged. The death of a saint's body is just like that—an illusion from our limited perspective. The body is described as a mere adjunct. For Sai, who is the Supreme Brahman, the concepts of birth or death for his body are meaningless because he is devoid of bodily impulses and his 'spiritual attainment stayed in its place.'