Why did Baba believe it was essential for devotees to retreat to the forest to study books like the Uddhava Gita, as Tukaram did?

The source material from Chapter 18 actually presents the opposite of this idea. While it references the God-devoted Tukaram performing readings in solitude on Bhamchandra hill, it immediately clarifies Baba's own teaching on the matter. Chapter 18 explicitly states, 'One does not need to go to the forest; God manifests in the Uddhava Gita.' Baba's method was not to send people away but to bring spiritual practice into the community. He demonstrated that those who perform readings with faith can attain God instantly, which is why he arranged for daily readings in Sathe's Wada in Shirdi for all to attend.