How did the author describe his own personality before he started writing about Sai Baba?

The author provides a remarkably candid and self-critical description of his former self in Chapter 2. Before his transformation, he describes himself as being "mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical." He admits to having a "logic-driven mind" and being "always proud of his own wisdom," which made him prone to argumentation. He frankly states that he had a "bad intellect" and knew nothing of the greatness of a Satguru. This portrayal emphasizes his initial arrogance and intellectual pride, which had to be dissolved through surrender before he could become a worthy vessel for writing Sai Baba's sacred life story.