Who was the sannyasi from Madras described in Chapter 31, and what was his journey about?

Chapter 31 introduces a sannyasi named Vijayananda who hailed from Madras. His primary goal was to undertake a pilgrimage to Mansarovar, and he had departed with great enthusiasm for this purpose. Along his route, he heard of the great fame of Sai Baba in Shirdi. As verse 15 explains, this prompted him to alter his journey, holding a strong longing for darshan, and he stopped in Shirdi to see the world-renowned saint before continuing his travels.