Why were the darveshis who owned the tiger described as being both sad and pleased after it died at Sai Baba's feet?

The darveshis experienced conflicting emotions for very distinct reasons, as detailed in Chapter 31. Their sadness stemmed from a practical loss, as the text notes in verse 158 that the tiger was their 'means of livelihood' and 'family's sustenance.' Its death meant a loss of their income. However, they were also pleased because they understood the spiritual fortune of their tiger. They recognized that for a diseased creature to leave its body before the eyes of a saint was an act of 'great merit' that saved it from its sins. Their pleasure came from the knowledge that the tiger had attained liberation, a sentiment that outweighed their material loss.