Why was a work like the *Shri Sai Satcharita* considered necessary, and what makes it suitable for building a community of followers?

The preface in Chapter 0 indicates a scarcity in Maharashtra of detailed, poetic, and comprehensive works suitable for Parayans and Saptahs. While some earlier poets like Shri Dasganu Maharaj mentioned saints, their biographies were often too brief for in-depth study. The *Shri Sai Satcharita* by Annasaheb Dabholkar was written to fill this void for devotees of Sai Baba. It is described as a recent, sweet, inspirational, and grace-filled biography. Its detailed nature, published chapter by chapter over six years, makes it a comprehensive work ideal for communal study and Parayans, thereby helping to form and sustain a community of devotees.