The Satcharita says Baba gave away a lot of money, but also that he sent people away empty-handed. How does the book explain this seemingly contradictory behavior?

Chapter 29 addresses this very point about Sai Baba's seemingly inconsistent charity. While confirming that he was steadfast in charity and distributed money daily, the text clarifies that this was his 'constant manner - nothing was ever fixed.' It explicitly states that he did not give to everyone, and 'no one knew his mind.' The explanation provided is spiritual rather than logical; it suggests that receiving a gift from Baba was a matter of destiny or grace. As the chapter puts it, only when a person's 'auspicious time had arrived' would they receive this 'blessing of happiness,' and the 'touch of a saint's hand' was a fortune obtained only by the fortunate. His actions were thus a manifestation of his 'incomprehensible wisdom.'