<b>The King With Four Wives </b>

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 his second wife. She was his confidante and she 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 but 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.

&nbsp;

The sad king asked the third 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 of this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "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 a chance!"

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.

<b>The Rabbit and The Turtle Race </b>

Remember the famous Rabbit-Turtle race (Tortoise and the Hare)? We all know that at the end of the story the Rabbit was not able to win the race against the Turtle.

Well, this is actually not the end of the story. After a disgraceful loss to the Turtle, the Rabbit decided to have a race again. This time, he decided, he would not take a nap.

The race started &amp; soon the Rabbit was far away from the sight of the Turtle &amp; all the spectators. This time he didn't stop &amp; defeated the Turtle by a big margin.

The Turtle lost the race this time; however, he didn't give up. He challenged the Rabbit again on a different racetrack. The Rabbit, full of confidence, accepted it. He knew the reason he lost earlier: his laziness during the first race. He was able to win the second race because he was able to work on it.

The Third Race started. The Rabbit, like always, soon disappeared. Everyone was laughing at the Turtle but the Rabbit didn't want to stop to see why &amp; kept on running as fast as he could. He wanted to defeat the Turtle by a much bigger margin than the earlier race. Suddenly, he came to a river. He was not able to make out how to cross it &amp; was forced to stop.

After some time the Turtle reached the river &amp; very confidently stepped into it. He swam much faster than he could ever run. Within no time he crossed the river &amp; moved towards the finishing point while the Rabbit helplessly looked on as the Turtle won the race.

The story does not end here.

After the first race, the Rabbit learned that he lost it because of his laziness.

After second race, the Turtle learned that he lost the race because his opponent was actually good at running.

After the third race, the Rabbit learned that being faster is not enough; one should have brains as well to complete the task.

The Rabbit &amp; the Turtle decided to run again. This time it was just running &amp; not a race.

While running, until they reached the river, the Rabbit put the Turtle on his back. Once they needed to cross the river, the Turtle put the Rabbit on his back. After crossing the river, the Rabbit again put the Turtle on his back &amp; both of them reached the finishing point in less time than ever.

<b>What did they learn?</b>

They both learned that with teamwork they can finish the same task quicker &amp; both of them can enjoy the reward. During the time they were competing against one another, just one of them was able to win after wasting a lot of time &amp; energy.

--- <b>Written in 2008 by Sanjeev Kumar Singh --- India</b>