What were the initial impressions of other saints like Gangagir Baba and Anandnath Maharaj upon meeting Sai Baba?

Other revered saints immediately recognized Maharaj's profound spiritual stature. As detailed in the Introduction (Chapter 0), when Gangagir Baba first saw Maharaj carrying earthen pots of water, he exclaimed to the nearby villagers, "This is purely a gem. His worth is very great. The village is very lucky that you got this gem." Similarly, Anandnath Maharaj, a disciple of the famous Swami of Akkalkot, spontaneously decided to travel to Shirdi. Upon his arrival, he echoed Gangagir's sentiment, stating, "This is a diamond. You don't know its true value." Both holy men used metaphors of precious jewels to describe Maharaj, indicating they perceived his immense spiritual wealth long before others did.