When an old woman asked Baba for a mantra, how did he respond and what did he teach her instead?

When an old woman persisted in asking for a mantra, or 'upadesh', Sai Baba explained why he could not give her one. He told her, as recounted in Chapter 19, "my Guru did not blow any mantra into my ears, so how can I blow one into yours?" Instead of a mantra, Baba offered a different path to spiritual wealth. He instructed her to simply "look at me with undivided attention, and I will look at you the same way," revealing this was all his own Guru taught him. This teaching highlights that the core of the spiritual path lies not in rituals but in having complete faith that the Guru is the ultimate "doer and the destroyer." The woman was convinced and gave up her vow.