The Satcharita talks about Baba leaving his body. Does this mean he's gone? What's the book's perspective on death for a saint like him?

According to the teachings in Chapter 43, the idea that Sai Baba is 'gone' is a misconception. The text defines death as merely the separation of the body and senses, which it calls a 'false imagination' for enlightened beings. It states that Sai Samarth is the 'complete Supreme Brahman' for whom birth and death do not apply. His departure was a voluntary act where he burned his body in the 'fire of Yoga' and 'merged himself into the unmanifest.' The chapter argues that he continues to reside in the hearts of his devotees and fills the entire world in his true form, so his body cannot be said to have perished.