Chapter 36 states that Sai makes the listener and speaker a 'mere pretext'. Can you explain what this means based on the source text?

The phrase 'making the listener and speaker a mere pretext,' as found in Chapter 36, points to a profound spiritual concept. It suggests that Sai Baba is the true orchestrator behind the narration of his own stories. The chapter explains that he loves his stories and provides memories of them, using human beings as instruments for their telling. The text says, 'the playful Sai himself takes over and makes his own qualities heard by his devotees through someone.' This means the speaker is not acting out of their own ego or 'I-ness,' but is merely a channel for Sai's divine will to fulfill the desires of devotees and spread his glory, as described in Chapter 36.