Inspiring

[blaze.]

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most

and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great

care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

 

He also loved the 3rd 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

great fear that she might run away with some other men.

 

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient

and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some

problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out

and tide him through difficult times.

 

Now, the merchant's 1st 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 first 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 4th 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 4th wife and she

walked away without another word.

 

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad

merchant then asked the 3rd 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 3rd 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 2nd 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 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave."

The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the 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 first 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

 

a. The 4th 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.

 

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all

go to others.

 

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been

there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the

grave.

 

d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of

material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

 

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go.

Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to

wait until we're on our deathbed to lament

[Bhakta Don Muntean]

...nice parable...

 

ys,

[Guest guest]

There is another story/parable that is similiar to this one:

 

There was a man who had three friends. Friend #1 was his best companion. They would always be together at social gatherings and parties.

 

Friend #2 was a friend whom he could trust with any personal issues or problems.

 

Friend #3 was not a "close" friend, but they would meet once every few months or so.

 

so....One day the man was walking down the street at night, and he saw a dead body lying on the side of the road. Worried, he ran over to see what happened. Just as he was standing there, a few police officers came and grabbed him. They accused him of being the murderer and took him to the jail-house.

 

A few days later he was set to a trial in front of a judge. The judge then asked the man to show proof that he wasn't the murderer, so the man asked for 24hrs to contact any witnesses.

 

He first called Friend #1 and asked him to come to the courthouse to tell the judge that they were together all day before the murder.

Friend #1 said, " No I can't do that...no one will believe that"

So the man was hurt that such a good friend would do this.

 

Next, he called friend #2 and asked for the same favor. Friend #2 said, "I won't come in, but I will help you find a good lawyer"

Again, the man had been turned down.

 

Lastly, he called friend #3 for the same favor. This friend rushed to the courthouse and gave his testimony, and the man was freed.

 

 

So what does this story imply ???

 

 

well....

 

Friend #1 is Money. He can only take you so far. There are situations were he will never be able to help.

 

Friend #2 represents Family/friends. They will also only come so far. They make take the extra step, but they are still hesitant to help in certain situations.

 

Friend #3 is Bhakti. Even if you engage in bhakti just a few times, the Lord will remember those times without fail. In the end, only bhakti can truly set you free.

[indulekhadasi]

Jai! I love reading these wonderful and instructive stories! I hope one day I can apply what I learned in these stories to my own life.

[sopatel]

what a beautiful story...these are truly inspiring. As Indulekhadasji said, I will try and bring these into my life.

 

Jai Shri Krishna

[rohini108]

Very nice! Thanks. rsd