What was the deeper meaning behind Baba telling Sapatnekar's story to the shepherd woman instead of to him directly?

The deeper meaning was to provide an undeniable and shocking proof of His divinity that would eradicate Sapatnekar's doubts. As Chapter 48 explains, the Dhangar woman had no connection to the story; she was merely a medium. By narrating Sapatnekar's most intimate life events, including the death of his son, to a third party, Baba demonstrated that his knowledge was not acquired but inherent. This indirect method prevented any possibility of it being a mere guess or psychological trick. It forced Sapatnekar to recognize that Baba was a "great knower of the inner self" and that everything was as clear to him as a "gooseberry in the palm of the hand," thereby etching deep respect for Sai in his mind.