Can you describe the author's personality and intellectual disposition before he came to Shirdi, as he himself recounts it?

The author, who would later be known as Hemadpant, provides a candid self-assessment of his character before his transformative encounter with Sai Baba. In Chapter 2, he describes himself as initially being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and highly critical. He admits to having a logic-driven mind and being prone to argumentation, always proud of his own wisdom. He states he knew nothing of the Satguru's greatness and was led to Shirdi purely by chance and past-life connections. It was only through what he calls strong destiny and his association with Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar that this staunch debater was guided to Sai's lotus feet.