How did the author describe his personality and mindset before he was guided to Shirdi?

In Chapter 2, the author provides a remarkably candid self-assessment of his character before his spiritual transformation. He describes himself as mischievous, talkative, cynical, and critical. He admits to being arrogant about his knowledge, possessing a logic-driven mind, and being always proud of his own wisdom, which made him prone to argumentation. He states that he knew nothing of a Satguru's greatness. As recounted in Chapter 2, it was only through his past-life connections with Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar that he, a staunch debater, was destined to have the darshan of Sai Baba's lotus feet.