What was the deeper lesson behind Sai Baba calling Mavshibai 'Mother' and then telling Anna it wasn't improper to take a kiss from her?

The story of the quarrel between Anna and Mavshibai holds a profound lesson about the nature of devotion and human relationships. As the narrative in Chapter 24 explains, the conflict would not have arisen if the pure, loving intellect that exists between a mother and son was present between them. When Baba defused the tension by saying, "I don't understand what is improper in taking a kiss from the Mother," he was doing more than just making a joke. He was elevating their interaction to this higher, purer plane. This 'natural trick' was a teaching moment, guiding them to see each other through a lens of familial love, free from ego and anger. The text reflects that this is how Baba's teachings satisfied the hearts of his devotees, allowing them to grasp the lesson immediately.