Why was it important for Sai Baba to have a physical, manifest form for his devotees?

The provided text explains the significance of a divine being taking a manifest form for the benefit of humanity. Chapter 49 poses a rhetorical question, stating that if the Lord of the Universe were to remain always formless, there would be no benefit to us humans who have forms. It is by assuming a body, as Sai Baba did, that guidance for people (Lokasangraha) and the suppression of wicked opinions can occur. The narrative emphasizes that without this playful assumption of a body, the grace for devotees would be inaccessible. The experience of Somdev Buva, who was transformed by the darshan of Baba's saguna (manifest) form, serves as a prime example. As Chapter 49 describes, seeing the Great Soul with his eyes brought him supreme delight and dissolved all his doubts, a benefit he could not have received from a formless entity.