Can you describe the author's personality and mindset before he encountered Sai Baba?

Before his transformative encounters with Sai Baba, the author, who would later be known as Hemadpant, described himself in a very unflattering light. As we learn in Chapter 2, he was mischievous, talkative, cynical, and highly critical. He admits to having a logic-driven mind and being always proud of his own wisdom, making him prone to argumentation. He knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness and was arrogant about his intellectual knowledge. His cynical nature is highlighted when his resolve to visit Shirdi wavered after hearing about a friend's son who died despite the presence of a Guru, which caused him to question the efficacy of such spiritual figures.