Why was Amir Shakkar's nine-month stay in the Chavadi considered both a form of imprisonment and a great blessing?

Amir Shakkar's experience in the Chavadi was a paradox, described in Chapter 22 as both an external imprisonment and an internal companionship with Sai. On one hand, he was confined to a single, dilapidated place for nine months and even forbidden from visiting the Masjid, which made him feel like he was in a prison. However, this very confinement was a great blessing. His location provided automatic daily visions of Baba, and on alternate nights, he shared close quarters with Baba, talking with him after other devotees left. This intimate access, as Chapter 22 explains, was a rare fortune that would not have been possible otherwise.