100 Moral Stories 43
Once upon a time. There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4 th wife the most and
adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her & gave her
nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3 rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to
his friends. However, the merchant is always in fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2 nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient & in fact is the
merchant’s confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his
2 nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant’s 1 st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in
maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the
merchant did not love the 1 st wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of
his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How
lonely I’ll be!” Thus, he asked the 4 th wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”
“No way!” replied the 4 th wife and she walked away without another
word. Answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant’s heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3 rd wife, “I have loved you so much
for all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me
company?”
“No!” replied the 3 rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I’m going to
remarry when you die!” The merchant’s heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2 nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and
you’ve always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep
me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!” replied the 2 nd wife.” “At the very most,
I can only send you to your grave.” Answer came like a bolt of thunder & merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out: “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant
looked up and there was his 1 st wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition.
Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could
have!”
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives. The 4 th wife is our body. No matter how much time and
effort we lavish in making it look good, it’ll leave us when we die.
FOUR WIVES
