Why did Baba grind wheat and then have the flour thrown away at the village boundary?

Sai Baba's act of grinding wheat was not for making bread, as he lived on alms, but was a symbolic act of compassion for the village. According to Chapter 1, the village was suffering from a cholera epidemic. The wheat Baba was grinding was a metaphor for the disease itself. By grinding it in the mill, he was symbolically destroying the epidemic. He then had the women throw the resulting 'flour' on the village boundary near a stream. This action, as explained by the villagers later, completely drove away the epidemic, causing the disease to recede from that point on. It was a demonstration of Baba's unique and powerful methods to protect his devotees.