"A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was sown in me and left to germinate. It has never stopped growing since that day" (47). Everything started when Pi was a little baby. His Auntie Rohini took him to a temple and somehow he recollected, unconsciously, his Hindu rite of passage. "I have no conscious memory of this first go-around in a temple something of the sultriness and mystery of the place must have stayed with me" (47). Because of his desire to love God and to look at Him through many different viewpoints, Pi chose to practice three religions: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
Throughout most of his childhood, Pi resided in the small town of Pondicherry, India. Here he was first exposed to religion. His parents, relatives, and most of his friends were all dedicated Hindus. His feelings toward Hinduism were simple; he felt at home in a Hindu temple and was constantly aware of a larger presence. "My heart still skips a beat when I catch the sight of the Murti, of God Residing, in the inner sanctum of a temple" (48). Hinduism is a religion of rite and ritual, mainly focused on three gods: Brahman, Brahman Nirguna, and Brahman Saguna. A Hindu lives his "life of truth" in a constant search to unify Brahman and Atman, the soul. Hinduism, Pi's religious footstool, eventually led him to meet Jesus Christ at the age of fourteen.
Christianity was an obscure religion for Pi to grasp. He exhibited disbelief and annoyance of the stories of Jesus, which was told by Father Martin. Initially he believed this religion was nothing compared to Hinduism. But his curiosity overpowered his original position. "The more He bothered me, the less I could forget Him. And the more I learned about Him, the less I wanted to leave Him" (57). What attracted Pi to Christianity was the fact that Jesus was on " too human a scale- (55). With every question Pi asked, all he received was, "Love- (54).