What was the significance of having Sai Baba bless a sacred book?

Devotees believed that having Sai Baba bless a sacred text was a source of great spiritual merit. As described in Chapter 27, they would purchase books like the Five-Jeweled Gita or life stories of saints and present them to Baba. The hope was to receive the book back from his hands as a form of 'prasad' or blessing. It was thought that reading such a sanctified book would lead to the acquisition of supreme welfare for both the reader and anyone listening to the text being read. This practice shows the deep faith devotees placed in Baba's ability to imbue sacred objects with his grace and power.