What was the purpose of Sai Baba's incarnation if he is eternally beyond birth and death?

The text clarifies that beings like Sai Baba, who are beyond the cycle of birth and death, incarnate by their own will for a specific reason. According to Chapter 43, Baba's manifestation was driven by the 'sole desire for the welfare of devotees.' He appeared in Shirdi, 'gathered by the past merits of devotees,' specifically for their protection and salvation. His physical form was a vehicle to carry out this divine task. Once that 'task for the devotees is over,' he consciously left the body, merging back into his unmanifest, all-pervading state. His life was not bound by karma but was a purposeful avatar for his followers.