The Four Wives

The Four Wives - What You Take With You

There was once a wealthy king who had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most. He adorned her with jewels, took her to the finest events, and spent most of his time with her. He could not imagine life without her.

He loved his third wife very much as well. She was his pride and joy. He showed her off to other kings and nobles, and he was always concerned about her reputation and beauty.

He also loved his second wife. She was his confidante. Whenever he had problems, he would go to her, and she would listen patiently and offer wise counsel.

His first wife was his most loyal partner. She had been with him since before he became king. She had supported him through poverty, struggle, and exile. But the king had grown accustomed to her presence and often took her for granted. He barely noticed her.

The King’s Illness

One day, the king fell gravely ill. The doctors said he had only a few days to live. As he lay on his deathbed, he thought about his life, his wealth, and his four wives.

“I have enjoyed so much,” he thought, “but now I must go alone. Will any of my wives accompany me?”

He called his fourth wife, the one he loved most.

“Beloved,” he said, “I have loved you more than anyone. Will you come with me when I die?”

The fourth wife looked at him with cold eyes. “I cannot,” she said. “I will mourn for you, I will attend your funeral, but I cannot come with you. When you die, I will remarry.”

The king was crushed. He called his third wife.

“Dearest,” he said, “I have shown you off to the world. I have been so proud of you. Will you come with me when I die?”

The third wife shook her head. “I will accompany you to the cremation ground,” she said. “I will pay my respects. But that is all. Life goes on, and I must live mine.”

The king’s heart broke further. He called his second wife.

“My confidante,” he said, “you have always listened to me. You have always been there when I needed counsel. Will you come with me when I die?”

The second wife sighed. “I can accompany you to the gates of death,” she said. “I can walk with you to the edge. But I cannot go beyond. I will stay at the gate and return.”

The king wept. Three wives, three refusals. Then a voice came from the corner, soft and steady.

“I will come with you.”

It was his first wife - the one he had taken for granted, the one he had barely noticed in years.

The Journey

“Where you go, I will go,” the first wife said. “I have been with you from the beginning. I was with you when you were a poor prince. I was with you when you were exiled. I was with you through every struggle and every triumph. I will be with you through death as well. Nothing can separate us.”

The king looked at her with eyes that finally saw. She had always been there. She had been the one constant in his life. And he had never thanked her, never appreciated her, never even noticed her presence.

“Who are you, really?” he asked.

“I am your karma,” she said. “I am the record of everything you have done, thought, and been. When you die, your wealth stays behind. Your fame stays behind. Your relationships stay behind. But I - the sum of your actions, the fabric of your being - I go with you. I am what you take beyond death.”

The Teaching

The fourth wife is the body. We spend our lives adorning it, feeding it, caring for it. But when death comes, the body stays behind.

The third wife is wealth and status. We show it off to the world. But at death, others inherit it.

The second wife is family and friends. They mourn us, accompany us to the cremation ground, but they cannot cross the threshold with us.

The first wife is our karma - our actions, our character, the imprints we have made on our own consciousness. That alone goes with us.

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Source & Further Reading

This is a traditional teaching story found in both Buddhist and Hindu sources. It is often used to illustrate the teachings on karma and the impermanence of worldly attachments.

Reflection

The story of the four wives is a powerful memento mori - a reminder of death that is meant to transform how we live. It asks us to consider: what are we investing our lives in? The fourth wife (the body) and the third wife (wealth) will not come with us. The second wife (relationships) accompanies us only to the threshold. Only the first wife - our karma, our character, the quality of our consciousness - crosses with us. The teaching is not meant to create despair but to clarify priorities. Invest in the first wife. Everything else is rental.