In the story of Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar, what is the connection between the neglect of 'Shraddha' and Baba's statement that he and Vitthal were being kept hungry?

The connection between the neglected 'Shraddha' and Baba's statement about hunger is deeply symbolic, highlighting his omniscience and identification with the divine. When Baba told Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar, "He never offers food (Naivedya); he keeps me hungry too. He keeps Vitthal hungry too," he was not speaking of physical hunger. As chapter 4 explains, Bhagwantrao had ceased the family's worship of their Vitthal idol and had also stopped performing the 'Shraddha' ceremony for his late father. The 'Naivedya' (food offering) to Vitthal and the offerings made during the Shraddha ceremony are acts of devotion and faith. By equating the lack of these offerings to being kept hungry, Baba was illustrating that the divine (both Vitthal and himself) "feeds" on a devotee's love, faith, and fulfillment of duty.