Why did Sai Baba refuse to give a secret mantra or 'upadesh' to the woman who came to him?

Sai Baba's refusal to give a secret mantra stemmed directly from his own experience with his Guru. He explained to the woman, as recounted in Chapter 19, that despite serving his Guru for twelve years with intense devotion, his Guru never blew a mantra into his ears. Instead, his Guru protected and nurtured him with a loving gaze, similar to how a mother tortoise cares for its young from afar. Therefore, Baba questioned how he could give her a mantra when he himself was never given one. He advised her to stop being sad and to simply "pay attention to me," assuring her that by doing so, spiritual wealth would naturally come into her hands, suggesting that faith and focus on the Guru are more important than secret verbal formulas.