Why did Sai Baba resort to begging for food? Wasn't he a powerful Siddha?

The text from Chapter 9 directly addresses this question, explaining that begging for alms was perfectly appropriate for Sai Baba due to his spiritual state. He was neither a householder nor a forest-dweller, but a pure celibate and sanyasi from childhood, for whom begging is considered commendable. The scriptures prohibit ascetics from cooking their own food, placing the responsibility for their sustenance on householders. Chapter 9 further clarifies that only one who has a firm realization that 'the whole universe is my home' and has renounced the desires for sons, wealth, and fame truly has the right to live on alms. As a great and powerful Siddha, Baba embodied these qualities, making begging a fulfillment of his role.