What was the underlying motive for Sai Baba's actions, such as his fondness for lighting lamps, which people initially misunderstood?

While the villagers of Shirdi first saw Sai Baba's fondness for lighting lamps as a personal whim or a sign of his madness, the source material clarifies the true purpose. Chapter 0 states that none of his actions were driven by whims, as he was beyond them. The real motive behind his activities was always "doing good for the people." Even when he appeared as a "mad Fakir" in torn clothes, his inner state was one who had "swallowed the universe," and his actions were consistently for the benefit and welfare of others, a truth the villagers came to understand through his leelas.