Why did Sai Baba suddenly start grinding wheat in the mosque when he lived on alms and didn't cook for himself?

Sai Baba's act of grinding wheat was a symbolic divine play, not for preparing food. As described in Chapter 1, the villagers were initially perplexed because Baba lived on alms and had no family. The true reason was revealed later: the wheat represented a cholera epidemic that was ravaging the village. By grinding the wheat, Baba was symbolically grinding the disease itself. He then instructed the women to throw the resulting flour on the village boundary, an act which coincided with the epidemic receding. This demonstrated Baba's unique and compassionate method for protecting his devotees from harm.