What was the significance of devotees giving books to Sai Baba, and what would happen to them?

According to Chapter 27, devotees developed a practice of giving books to Sai Baba with the hope of receiving them back as a blessing, or 'prasad'. The belief was that reading a book blessed by Baba would lead to the acquisition of merit and supreme welfare. Devotees would offer various sacred texts, such as the Five-Jeweled Gita, Santaleelamrut, and Bhaktaleelamrut. An example is provided where someone offered the book Viveksindhu, which Baba then gave to Shama to keep. This practice highlights the devotees' faith in Baba's power to sanctify objects and the belief that his touch would imbue the books with spiritual power, making their subsequent reading a profoundly beneficial act.