The King with four wives

Once upon a time, there was a rich king who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most  and  adorned  her  with  rich  robes  and treated her to the finest delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the third wife very much and showed her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that   one   day   she   would   leave   him   for another.He also loved the second wife. She was his confidante and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her to help him  get through the difficult times.The  King's  first  wife  was  a  very  loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining    his    wealth    and    kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife and although  she  loved  him  deeply,  he  hardly took notice of her.One day, the King fell ill and he knew that his  time  was  short.  Thus,  he  asked  the 4th wife, "I have loved you the 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.  Her answer  cut  like  a  sharp  knife  right  into  his heart.  The  sad  King  asked  the  3rd  wife,  "I have  loved  you  all  my  life.  Now  that  I'm dying,  will  you  follow  me  and  keep  me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is  too  good!  When  you  die,  I  am  going  to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned  to  you  for  help  and  you've  always been  there  for  me.  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." Her answer came like  a  bolt  of  thunder  and  the  King  was devastated.Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you and   follow   you   no   matter   where   you go."The  King  looked  up  and  there  was  his first  wife.  She was  so  skinny,  because  she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the  King  said,  "I  should  have  taken  better care of you when I had the chance!”In truth, we all have four wives in our lives: Our  4th  wife  is  our  body.  No  matter  how much time and effort we lavish in making it look  great,  it'll  leave  us  when  we  die.  Our 3rd  wife  is  our  possessions,  status  and wealth. When we die it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter  how  much  they  have  been  there  for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the  grave.  Our  1st  wife  is  our  Soul,  often neglected  in  pursuit  of  wealth,  power  and pleasures of the  ego. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. So cultivate, strengthen and cherish it  now!  It  is  your  greatest  gift  to  offer  the world.