Why did Sai Baba force his devotee Kashiram to steal from a grocer?

The source material clarifies that Sai Baba (Maharaj) did not instruct Kashiram to steal. Rather, this was a misunderstanding of a spiritual test. As detailed in Chapter 0, when Kashiram developed pride in his ability to give Dakshina, Maharaj orchestrated a situation to humble him. After Kashiram's funds were depleted, Maharaj instructed him to "Borrow from the grocer and bring it to me." This act of borrowing, not stealing, was part of a divine play, or 'Leela', designed to remove the spiritual obstacle of pride from Kashiram's path by making him realize he lacked the inherent power to give.