What is the purpose of the invocations at the beginning of Shri Sai Satcharitra, and which deities are invoked in Chapter 1?

Chapter 1 of the Shri Sai Satcharitra begins with auspicious invocations, known as Mangalacharan. The text explains that the primary reason for this is to ensure the obstacle-free completion of the task of writing the book and to obtain the grace of the desired deities. The purpose is the fulfillment of the author's goal. As detailed in this chapter, salutations are offered to several divine figures, including Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati, the Guru, the Family Deity (Narayana), Shri Sitaramchandra, and ultimately, Sadguru Sainath himself. This traditional etiquette is adopted for attaining auspiciousness.