What was the deeper, symbolic meaning behind Sai Baba grinding wheat?

The act of grinding wheat, as narrated in Chapter 1, was a profound symbolic play by Sai Baba, not a literal domestic chore. The people of the village later explained that the wheat Baba was grinding was a metaphor for the deadly cholera epidemic that was afflicting them. By putting the 'wheat' through the millstone, he was symbolically crushing the disease. His instruction to have the resulting 'flour' thrown on the village boundary was the final step in driving the epidemic out of the community. This event showcases Baba's inconceivable methods, where a seemingly simple act had a powerful, life-saving effect that was not immediately apparent to onlookers.