What was Sai Baba's cryptic method for warning his followers about the serpent in the Chavadi?

Sai Baba employed a remarkable and indirect method to warn his devotees of danger. As narrated in Chapter 22, instead of directly announcing the presence of a snake, Baba cried out at midnight about a 'vivashi' (phantom/evil spirit) being near his own bedding. He then repeatedly struck the ground with his satka, waking everyone. This was a specific tactic, as an experienced devotee named Amir Shakkar understood. Amir knew that when Baba claimed a danger was near himself, it often meant a devotee was in peril. This cryptic warning prompted the search that ultimately revealed the venomous snake near Amir's pillow, thus saving him.