How does the narrator, Hemad, describe his own role in telling this story compared to Sai Baba's role?

The narrator, Hemad, presents himself in a very humble light, diminishing his own importance in the storytelling process. He states in Chapter 47 that Sai Baba himself is the true source, describing Sai as "the story, the speaker, and the face." Hemad goes so far as to say his own name is "merely a nickname" in this context. He reinforces this by mentioning that Sai entered his heart to narrate the account himself. Hemad also notes that as the speaker, he is just as empty as the listeners if he fails to grasp the distilled essence of the story, emphasizing that the power lies in Sai's message, not the messenger (Chapter 47).