Given that the author, Hemadpant, describes himself as initially being 'mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical' with a 'bad intellect,' why was he chosen for such a sacred task? It seems like a poor choice of author.

According to the narrative in Chapter 2, Hemadpant's flawed character was precisely why he was a powerful choice to illustrate the Guru's grace. Although he was cynical and had a logic-driven mind, Sai Baba felt compassion and gave him the task with the promise of full help. The condition was that Hemadpant must "dissolve his ego and surrender it at my feet." The selection of a flawed individual for a divine work demonstrates the principle of transformation through surrender. It shows that anyone, regardless of their initial pride or cynicism, can become a vehicle for the divine. The author is made a "pretext" to highlight the supreme power of Sai's grace, which can operate through even an imperfect instrument once the ego is set aside.