What was the deeper spiritual lesson Maharaj was teaching Kashiram by demanding Dakshina until he went into debt?

The profound spiritual lesson behind Maharaj's actions was the removal of pride, which is an obstacle to spiritual progress. Chapter 0 states that Kashiram's sadness on days Maharaj didn't accept Dakshina was rooted in the pride that 'I have the power to give.' The text notes that it is God's resolve to remove such obstacles from a devotee's path. Therefore, the entire Leela of driving Kashiram into debt was a divine operation to crush his ego and make him understand that all giving and receiving is ultimately orchestrated by a higher power. Once this pride was gone, his spiritual path was clearer.