What is the significance of the story involving the narrator, Shama, and the Nath Bhagawat?

This story highlights Sai Baba's unique and merciful method of instruction for his devotees. In Chapter 18, we learn that the narrator had been lazy and skipped his regular reading. Baba, described as a 'most merciful mother,' understood this inner fault. Instead of scolding him, Baba used the pretext of collecting Dakshina to send the narrator to Shama's house. There, the narrator was made to wait and serendipitously picked up the Nath Bhagawat, which opened to the exact page he had neglected. This experience taught the narrator a profound lesson about discipline, which is defined as regular reading, and showed him how Baba subtly guides devotees to complete their duties and overcome personal faults.