What is the central spiritual lesson conveyed in the story of Pundalikrao and the coconut?

The story of Pundalikrao and the broken coconut serves as a powerful spiritual lesson about the ego. According to Chapter 51, the incident was merely an excuse for Sai Baba to impart wisdom and clear Pundalikrao's distressed mind. The core teaching is that abandoning the ego is crucial for spiritual progress. Baba explained that holding onto the idea of being the 'doer' leads to pride and distress. The text states that "the more non-egoistic the state, the more authority one gains in the spiritual path, and one will easily cross the ocean of existence." Thus, the main takeaway is the importance of achieving a state of non-doership and freedom from pride.