[The story is taken from the B.R. Pearn (19320), Three Shan Legends, Journal of the Burma Research Society (vol. 22, pp. 23–28)

The old people in the Shan States are in the habit of telling religious stories. They say that Buddha existed in every world, sometimes as an animal, and sometimes as a human being; but whatever he was he was the chief. The following legend is told about him]

---

Many years ago there reigned a King in a certain country. He had wives but no children. So one day he called his wives and told them to ask for a son from the nats they worshipped. The Queen went into the royal garden and stayed there for seven days. On the last day she dreamt of the sun which fell on her breast. The King was told, and he knew she would be with child. The Queen was to stay in the garden until she gave birth. Wires, one gold and one silver, were connected from the royal garden to the paplace, and it was ordered that if she gave birth to a daughter the silver wire was to be struck, and if to a son, the golden wire. Ten months after he had heard the dream he heard the shivering of the wires. He went and looked at them, and saw both shivering. He knew not what had happened, and waited for the sun to rise. Then a letter announced that the Queen had given birth to a Silver Oyster. The King was so ashamed of what other kings would say that he ordered the Queen to leave the palace, and the Oyster to be thrown into the river. The Queen knew it was useless to talk with the King, so she consented, and went to live with a poor old couple who loved her as their own daughter.

As the Oyster was thrown into the river, the Thakya Min came down, and taking it up put it in a pot with a pair of flying shoes and a magic stick. He wrote a later saying that after seven months something would come out of the shell. He packed the pot properly, and it floated down the river. It went on for a month. On this river there stood the kingdom of the dragons, and as the seven princesses were bathing they saw the pot. All ran towards the bank except the eldest, who took it up and went to the palace. She opened it and saw those things which have been described. She read the letter, and intended to keep the pot, but her father would not allow her to do so, and she was forced to pack the pot again and send it floating down the river, writing a few words saying how she had had to set it floating again unwillingly.

Another month passed, and the pot was picked up by a giantess who was the ruler of the giants. She opened it and kept the pot and its contents in a room at the top of her palace. She looked after the oyster with the utmost care. Five months after she had picked it up, a lovely child came out, and she was very glad, as she had no children. She kept many maids to look after him. He grew up to be a strong and lovely boy. His foster-mother usually went out every day, and she told her son not to climb to the top of the palace. The maids were also ordered not to let him climb up there. As these giants transformed themselves into human shape, he thought that they really were human beings like himself.

One day, when he was in the sixteenth year of his age, he determined to climb up to the top of the palace to see what was there and why his mother, as he thought her, had so often told him not to do so. As soon as his mother went out he climbed up, although the maids tried their very best to stop him. He reached the topmost room. He saw a giant's outer garment and a mask. He at once knew that the people with whom he was living were not human beings, but giants. He opened the pot which was also there, and saw the shoes, the stick, and the letter. Thus he came to know his real father and his country. He put on the garment, the mask, and the shoes, and took the stick in his hand. He entered. He looked very ugly in his new garments. He then flew to the east, where he saw a garden containing a blood pond; to the north he saw heaps of human bones; in the western garden he saw dead bodies; and in the south he saw human beings who were confined there. He set them free. He now knew then that his pretended mother, the giantess, used to eat human beings. So he flew up, intending to return to his own country. The giantess saw him and was mad with grief. She tried to induce him to come down, and he thought of going to her, but on second thoughts he was afraid of being eaten. So he flew up. As his foster-mother was weeping he dropped his turban. He saw her pick it up, and when she kissed it she fell to the ground senseless. Again he thought of descending, and again he dared not. So he flew as fast as possible to be out of sight. When the giantess came to herself she went to the palace and punished the maids for not doing what she had ordered.

He flew on till he saw a group of cowherds enjoying themselves under a tree. He descended and went to them. At first they were very frightened but he managed it so carefully that they became friends. They loved him very dearly. They were five hundred in number, and all promised to build for him a house and to bring food for him next day. So he stayed with the cowherds in the day time, and alone at night when they had returned to their homes.

A year passed, and one day the cowherds told him that a pwe was to be held in the King's palace. The pwe was held because the youngest of the King's seven daughters was to choose a husband for herself. So they told him that they were going to the pwe, and told him not to go with them as he was very ugly. He consented. They all went to the pwe. He followed them at a distance, and when they were out of sight he flew as fast as he could to the pwe. The princess was on the platform, and the people stood around her. He went and stood on the east side, and when the cowherds arrived at the pwe they also stood on east side. They saw him, and being very much ashamed of him gave him a blow each and went to the north side. He thought that he would safe on the north and went there also. They found him there and reproached him. Everywere he went he found them and could not get rid of them. So he jumped to the front. As he jumped the princess saw his skin, which was very beautiful. She took up the wreath and put it round his neck as a sign that she chose him as her husband. All the people were amazed. The ministers told the King that the princess had chosen a husband who was as ugly as he could be. The King, being vexed, drove both daughter and son in-law into the forest. The six sisters were very angry, and they made up their minds to kill their sister's husband.

One day the six sisters persuaded the King to order them, the seven, bring a fish each to him. If anyone failed, her husband must be put death; the fish must be brought the following morning at ten o'clock. So the King ordered as he was bid. The youngest went home in tears, but when her husband saw her come crying he comforted her and told her not to be worried. As soon as it was dawn he beat the ground thrice with his stick, and all the fish appeared in front of him. He picked out the largest two and awoke his wife. He gave them to her, one to play with and one to take to the King. She was so pleased that she took both to the King a little after her sisters had left the palace. The sisters with their fishermen went to every stream but could get none. The youngest sister's husband then flew to a banyan tree. He beat three times again, and a throne appeared with the fishes in front of it. He took off his garments and sat down on the throne. The sisters after a fruitless search arived at the spot where he was sitting. They took him for a nat. They worshipped him and asked for a fish each. He gave them one each but in return asked for the tips of their six noses. They went back satisfied. thinking that they would be able to kill the ugly man, as they called their sister's husband, because even they with their numerous followers could find nothing and their husbands would have been killed if they had not had the good fortune to meet a nat.

When they arrived at the palace they were surprised to find their youngest sister before them with two large fishes. They did not, however give up their plan, and the next thing they planned was to bring to the King a stag each. The same thing happened as in the case of the fish, and this time the 'ugly man" took the tips of their ears. So the last contrivance was that each sister must build a road of jewels from her house to the palace within seven days. The youngest cried very much, for she had not a single stone, nor anybody to help her husband. Her husband told her to mark out the road. When she took a level place the elder sisters pushed her side and took the place for themselves. Though her husband told her not to be sad or anxious, she could not help it, because she knew that they could not afford such a road.

The sixth day came, and not a stone had been placed on their road, whereas the others had nearly reached the palace. The youngest went to bed and thought only of death. At midnight her husband got up, and he prayed for his road to be the best among the seven. His prayer was answered. In a minute's time he saw the road shining brightly in the moonlight. He did not sleep, but made the necessary things for the procession to the palace. Many nats came down and kept him company. They gave him nat's garments and when it was dawn he took off his giant's garments and put on his nat's dress. He woke his wife, who at first did not believe that he was her husband. He had to put on the giant's garments again to show her who he was. She got up, mad with happiness, and taking the giant's garments she burnt them. She put on him the nat's dress, and with the nats as their followers they went to the palace. The King was amazed, and thinking that some king had come to pay visit he got down from his throne and asked his son-in-law to get up on to it. His son-in-law then told hin who he was. The King was very angry with the ministers and his daughters. He called his daughters and told them to beg his son-in-law for mercy. He forgave them. As they said that they had got the fish and the stags from a nat, and not from him, he took out the nose-tips and ear-tips from his pocket, and placing each in its place, made the noses and ears whole again.

So then he went to his father and related his story. His father was very pleased and gave him his kingdom. He took his mother to his palace, and summoned the dragon-princess and his foster-mother the giantess to his royal town, and built a palace for each of them. They lived long and happily in peace,

He had to be an oyster for seven months and had to undergo these hardships because he had killed an oyster in his last existence.