How can it be true that Sai Baba wrote the story himself when Hemadpant is credited as the author? This seems like a direct contradiction.

This apparent contradiction is addressed directly in Chapter 2 and is central to the spiritual understanding of the book's creation. Sai Baba states, "He is merely a pretext; I myself shall write my own story!" This is not a literal claim of holding a pen, but a profound spiritual statement. Baba explains that the author must "dissolve his ego and surrender it at my feet." Once the author's ego is gone, Baba says, "I myself shall enter with 'I-ness' and write with my own hand." Therefore, Hemadpant is the physical author, but the divine inspiration and the true force behind the narrative is understood to be Sai Baba himself, working through a surrendered devotee. The credit to Hemadpant is for his role as the chosen instrument.