2024-1BoscoTheShapeshifter

Veeraswamy Krishnaraj

Bosco was an eight-year-old boy, born and brought up in a picturesque village in Tamil Nadu, India. The village was surrounded by lush green fields, swaying palm trees, and vibrant flowers that painted the landscape with a riot of colors. Bosco was a Yogi in the making, with a serene demeanor and a twinkle of wisdom in his eyes. He had many friends to play with and often visited their homes, where the aroma of delicious South Indian cuisine wafted through the air. One sunny afternoon, Bosco was playing near the village square when a wild bull, with its eyes blazing and nostrils flaring, charged at him. The villagers gasped in horror as the bull thundered down the narrow streets. Bosco’s heart pounded, and he could feel the ground tremble beneath his feet. He knew he couldn’t outrun the bull. In a moment of sheer desperation, he willed himself to become a cat. Instantly, he morphed into a sleek feline, his senses heightened. He darted up a nearby banyan tree, its ancient branches providing a safe haven. From his perch, Bosco looked down at the bull, which was now foaming at the mouth and pawing the ground in frustration. The villagers watched in awe as the bull’s owner arrived and led the beast away, never to let it out of its pen again.

Bosco’s transfiguration into a cat was lifesaving. He realized that his newfound gift could be used to help people and animals in distress. One day, he went to his friend Suresh’s home to play. As he approached the entrance, he saw a cobra, its hood raised and ready to strike. Without hesitation, Bosco transformed into a mongoose, unseen by anyone. He began to annoy the cobra, biting it and drawing it away from the house. The villagers watched in amazement as the mongoose chased the cobra into the dense forest a mile away. Midway to Suresh’s house, Bosco morphed back into his human form, his heart racing with excitement. He arrived at his friend’s house, ready to play, as if nothing extraordinary had happened.

Bosco never let anyone, including his family, know about his unique ability. He was on his way to becoming a Yogi with special abilities, capable of transformation, shapeshifting, and transmutation. He could become small, large, or even incorporeal, moving mountains, flying in the air, and swimming in the ocean. His special qualities included Anima (smallness), Mahima (largeness), Gharima (heaviness), Laghima (lightness), Prāptih (obtaining everything), Praakaamya (accomplishing anything desired), Isitva (supremacy), and Vashistva (subduing all to one’s will). One day, the school boys and girls from the nearby town went on an excursion to a palmyra fruit farm. The farm, with its towering twenty-foot-tall trees, was a sight to behold. The children, excited and chattering, ran towards the farm, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Bosco intuitively knew they wanted to taste the tender, sweet pulp inside the palmyra fruit. Bosco shapeshifted to a monkey and sat under the tree. The children wondered whether they could eat the delicious Jelly Seeds with sweet water inside them without the owner’s permission. When the children ran towards the monkey under the tree, the monkey briskly climbed up the tree and began throwing the fruits to the ground. The school guide kept the children away from the striking distance of the falling palmyra fruits. Soon, the owner of the farm and his help came. The farmhand cut the fruits adroitly with a machete and gave four Jelly Seeds to each child at no cost. The monkey’s help saved the farm hand from climbing up the tree. The monkey left the farm and transformed into Bosco. All the children went back to school and were excited talking about the monkey climbing up the palmyra tree and throwing the fruits to the ground.

Here are stories wherein man becomes animal by intention and reverts to human, when the mission is complete. He may even take an incorporeal form (a ghost). He has the ability to be in many places and continents as the conditions demand.  he can undergo transformation, shapeshifting, metamorphosis, transmutation, transfiguration. When a man becomes an animal, the resulting being appears like an animal (cow, horse…). He could act and talk through the real or created being, as the condition demands. He can move moutains, fly in the air, swim in the ocean and has the capability like an Yogi to become small, large and be in many places at any time. The Yogi's special qualities are 1. Anima. (smallness): Supernatural power of becoming as small as an atom, atomization 2.    Mahima. (largeness): The supernatural power of increasing size at will 3. Gharima. The supernatural power of making one self heavy at will 4.    Laghima. (lightness): The supernatural power of levitation 5.    Prāptih. Supernatural power to obtain everything 6.    Praakaamya. Capacity to accomplish anything desired 7.    Isitva. Supremacy or superiority considered as a super natural power 8.    Vashistva. The supernatural power of subduing all to one's own will                                 ---Definitions as found in Tamil Lexicon, Madras University

I used a few words for such an event: transformation, shapeshifting, metamorphosis, transmutation, transfiguration.