What happened immediately after Sai Baba took Mahasamadhi, and how did the community react?

Immediately after Sai Baba's breath left his body, there was a mix of ritual observance and great uncertainty. As described in Chapter 44, Laxman-mama performed worship and Jog conducted the Aarti with a lamp. Following this, a 26-hour period of intense deliberation began among both Hindu and Muslim devotees. They were faced with the difficult task of deciding how to perform the final rites and where to establish his Samadhi, or tomb. This period was marked by doubt, as people questioned whether it was true death or a deep trance, a doubt fueled by a past incident where Baba had revived after appearing dead for three days. This deliberation shows the immediate challenge the community faced in laying their Guru to rest.