What was the significance of devotees giving books to Sai Baba in Shirdi?

In Shirdi, devotees developed a practice of giving books to Sai Baba with the hope of receiving them back as a consecrated blessing. As detailed in Chapter 27, the belief was that reading a book that had been touched and blessed by Baba would lead to the acquisition of great merit and supreme welfare for both the reader and the listener. Devotees would offer various sacred texts, such as the Five-Jeweled Gita, hymns of the ten avatars, and life stories of saints like Santaleelamrut. This act demonstrated their faith in Baba's power to sanctify objects and infuse them with spiritual potency, turning a simple book into a vehicle for grace.