Can you describe the personality and mindset of the author, Hemadpant, before he fully embraced the path of devotion to Sai Baba?

Before his transformation, the author who would later be known as Hemadpant described himself in quite critical terms. As revealed in Chapter 2, he admits to being mischievous, talkative, cynical, and prone to argumentation. He was very proud of his own wisdom and possessed a logic-driven mind, always ready for a debate. He states he was arrogant about his intellect and initially knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness. It was only through what he calls strong destiny and past life connections with devotees like Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar that he, a staunch debater, was guided to Sai Baba's lotus feet.