One sunny afternoon, as Bosco wandered through the bustling village streets, a wild bull suddenly charged at him. The bull’s eyes were wild, and its nostrils flared as it thundered down the street. Bosco’s heart pounded in his chest as he realized he couldn’t outrun the beast. In a moment of sheer desperation, he willed himself to become a cat. Miraculously, he morphed into a sleek feline, his body shrinking and fur sprouting. He swiftly climbed up a nearby tree, his claws digging into the bark, and looked down at the bull, which was now foaming at the mouth in frustration. A while later, the bull’s owner arrived, calming the beast and leading it away, never to let it out of its pen again.
Bosco’s transfiguration into a cat had saved his life. He was determined to use his newfound gift to help people and animals in distress.
As Bosco grew older, his abilities expanded. He could transform into any animal, take on an incorporeal form, and even be in multiple places at once. His powers included:
1. Anima: The supernatural power of becoming as small as an atom.
2. Mahima: The ability to increase his size at will.
3. Gharima: The power to make himself heavy at will.
4. Laghima: The ability to levitate.
5. Prāptih: The power to obtain anything.
6. Praakaamya: The capacity to accomplish any desire.
7. Isitva: Supremacy or superiority as a supernatural power.
8. Vashistva: The power to subdue all to his will.
In his teenage years, Bosco and his friend Ramduth, a performing monkey named after Lord Rama’s messenger Hanuman, went on a vacation in a car in Tamil Nadu. They sped down the highway, with Ramduth sitting on Bosco’s lap, holding the steering wheel. Suddenly, Bosco became an incorporeal ghost. To onlookers, it appeared as though the monkey was driving the car. Bosco, in his ghostly form, guided the vehicle with ease. To show off his abilities, Bosco entered a racetrack, speeding around at breakneck pace. Spectators were astonished to see a monkey driving the car. After a few thrilling laps, Bosco materialized, much to Ramduth’s relief. The prank made headlines in the local newspaper the next day.
As they sped along the highway, a police officer clocked their car at 70 miles per hour in a 50-mile zone. To his astonishment, he saw a monkey at the wheel. With his ire on fire, the officer pulled them over. Ramduth, still at the wheel, offered the Indian Police officer a banana, which the cop accepted with a mix of confusion and amusement. (It was actually blessings and the banana from Hanuman, here Ramduth is equivalent to sacramental bread.) Bosco, speaking through Ramduth, explained, “I am a performing monkey.” The officer, incredulous but curious, asked for the monkey’s driver’s license and registration. Ramduth jumped out of the car and performed tricks, delighting the officer, who wished his children could see the spectacle. The officer let them go without a ticket, saying, “Have a nice day. You made my day, Ramduth.” The banana was prasadam from Lord
They pulled over at a rest stop to enjoy the mangos. Suddenly, a troop of langur monkeys, the eternal foes of Rhesus monkeys, appeared and aggressively stole the mangos. The langurs, much larger than Ramduth, began to pick on him. Frightened, Ramduth screeched. For the first time, Bosco decided to share his yogic power with Ramduth. The monkey grew to six feet tall, with a rotund, muscular body. He picked up two langurs, one in each hand, and gently squeezed their bellies. The langurs screamed, summoning more of their kind from the nearby forest. Ramduth dropped the langurs out of compassion. Surrounded, Ramduth materialized bananas, offering them as a peace gesture. The langurs accepted the bananas and peacefully retreated into the forest. Bosco was impressed by Ramduth’s show of strength and diplomacy.
