Why would Sai Baba intentionally cause his devotee, Kashiram, to fall into financial ruin? That seems cruel and manipulative.

The text explains this was a deliberate spiritual lesson. According to Chapter 0, Maharaj noticed that Kashiram felt pride in his ability to give Dakshina, which is described as an obstacle to spiritual progress. To remove this pride, Maharaj started demanding more and more Dakshina until Kashiram ran out of money and even had to borrow from a grocer. The purpose of this entire divine play, or 'Leela,' was to make Kashiram realize he did not have the inherent power to give. Once this realization dawned on him, his pride vanished, and his financial condition began to improve, showing the act was for his spiritual benefit, not to cause him harm.