If the author of the Sai stories is described as a 'pretext,' does that imply he had no meaningful role in creating the work?

According to the narrative in Chapter 2, the author's role is paradoxically both passive and essential. Sai Baba grants permission to create the collection of stories with the profound statement, "He is merely a pretext; I myself shall write my own story!" This suggests the divine inspiration and content originate from Baba. However, this divine intervention is conditional. The author must first "dissolve his ego and surrender it at my feet." Only by performing this act of surrender does the author become a suitable vessel. Sai Baba clarifies, "When the ego is dissolved...I myself shall enter with 'I-ness' and write with my own hand." Therefore, the author's meaningful role was not in creative invention, but in achieving the spiritual state of egolessness required to channel the story authentically.