According to the invocations in the first chapter, what is the author's purpose in writing the Shri Sai Satcharitra and what help does he seek?

The author's purpose, as laid out in Chapter 1, is to narrate the life story of Sai Baba for the benefit and salvation of devotees. He seeks divine assistance to complete this task without obstacles. The chapter begins with a series of invocations, a traditional practice for auspicious beginnings. The author prays to Lord Ganesha to destroy hindrances and to Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of speech, to make him an instrument to 'feed the nectar of the life of the capable Sai to everyone.' This highlights the author's humility and his view of the work as a sacred service, requiring divine grace for its successful and obstacle-free completion, as mentioned throughout Chapter 1.