According to the text, what is the spiritual prerequisite for receiving Sai Baba's full assistance, and what are the ultimate benefits of engaging with His stories?

The fundamental prerequisite for receiving Sai Baba's complete help is the dissolution of one's ego. Chapter 2 explicitly quotes Baba saying, "He should dissolve his ego and surrender it at my feet. To one who acts thus in life, I give full assistance." When the ego is gone, Baba states that He Himself enters with 'I-ness' to accomplish the work. The benefits of engaging with his stories are profound. By hearing, singing, and contemplating them, a devotee develops faith and devotion, which destroys ignorance. This process leads to self-experience, self-bliss, and a state of lasting happiness. The ultimate goal, as described, is for the devotee to gain knowledge of their true form, where the individual soul and the universal consciousness (Shiva) find harmony.