Who is actually narrating the stories in the Satcharitra? Does the author claim to be the source?

The author explicitly addresses this in Chapter 36 by downplaying his own role. He refers to his own "I-ness" (ego) and questions his authority to describe the infinite greatness of saints. The chapter clarifies that the true narrator is Sai Baba himself. It states, "the playful Sai himself takes over and makes his own qualities heard by his devotees through someone." This suggests that the author, Hemadpant, sees himself merely as a medium or an instrument. Chapter 36 further explains that Sai Baba makes the listener and speaker a "mere pretext" to fulfill the desires of devotees, reinforcing the idea that the stories are a manifestation of Sai's own will.