Why did Ramchandra Patil believe Sai Baba's words were 'etched in stone,' and what was the secret he was asked to keep?

Ramchandra Patil's unwavering faith that Sai Baba's words were "etched in stone" stemmed from his own personal experience, as described in Chapter 42. Patil was once so gravely ill and dejected that he despaired of life and asked Baba when he would die. Baba, appearing at his bedside, not only relieved his suffering but assured him, "Your danger to life (Gandantara) has passed." Ramchandra indeed recovered. It was during this same encounter that Baba shared the secret prophecy: that while Ramchandra would live, Tatya's fate was not good, and he would pass away on Vijayadashami in Shaka 1840. Baba explicitly instructed Ramchandra, "do not speak of this to him; he will lose heart," making this foreknowledge a heavy secret that Ramchandra had to bear.