Short Story: The King and his Four Queens
Once there was a King who was not keeping good health. His medical advisors told him that he only has a few months of life left. The king was heartbroken and decided to take Sanyas (renunciation) and go and live in the jungle for the rest of his life.
The King had four Queens and he wished for one of them to accompany him to the jungle. So, he went to his favorite 4th Queen and told her that he has decided to spend the rest of his life in the jungle and wishes for her to come with him. “No Way!” immediately replied the 4th Queen and walked away without saying another word. The King was shocked! He had showered all his love on her and fulfilled all her wishes and she didn’t even take a minute to desert him in his moment of need. Then the King went to his 3rd Queen, and asked her, “My Love, I have loved you all my life, will you accompany me to the jungle.” The 3rd queen said, “No, my Lord! Life is too good! I am still very young and when you die, I will remarry.” The King was completely dejected, the answers from his beloved queens felt like a sharp knife slicing through his heart. Then the King went to his 2nd Queen and requested her to accompany him. The 2nd Queen also declined by saying “Though I love you, but I cannot come with you. However, don’t worry, when you die, I will ensure you have the greatest funeral ceremony that people will always remember.”
By now, the King was completely heartbroken. Suddenly, he heard a voice “O my Lord! I will gladly come with you.” The King looked back and there standing was his oldest 1st Queen whom he had completely forgotten and neglected all these years. The King had tears in his eyes.
Connection: All of us have four life partners in our life. Our 4th Partner is our body, whom we pay full attention to, cajole, identify ourselves with it, and become proud of. However, when it is our time to take Sanyas (leave the world), this 4th partner will not accompany us. Our 3rd partner is the material wealth that we crazily run after, all our life, collecting. When it's time to leave, this 3rd partner will gladly become somebody else’s. Our 2nd partner is our family and even though they love us so much, all they can do when we leave is cherish our memories.
Our 1st partner, whom we always take for granted, neglect in our pursuit of pleasures, and most of the time forget that she even exists, is our Soul. Our Soul is the only partner that stays with us through eternity. We ought to cherish and nourish it.
Nurturing your soul is the key, and how to do it is very much a personal journey. Some Pointers from my basic reading and experience:
- Practice mindfulness: means being present in every moment, don’t take anything for granted. Don’t stress thinking about the past or the future, just enjoy the present and lead a life of thoughtfulness, care, and engagement. By valuing everything you have, you’ll have a greater appreciation of your life.
- Take care of your body: The body is the instrument by which you can nurture your soul. Get out in nature, mindfully eat food you love, be active, sleep well. Remember, Bhadwad Gita tells us that the body is the Chariot that the Self rides on using the intellect as the reins to control the horses (senses). So we better take care of the chariot if we want to reach our destination.
3. Knowledge: Educate oneself throughout one’s life. Building awareness about our core identity and our deeper purpose of life supports our staying committed towards the efforts at nourishing our soul.
4. Reflection: We all have our moments of anger, of jealously, of despair, of misery, of pride, of fear, of worry; that is normal. However, the key is to reflect on them, sit peacefully once or twice a day, and reflect and meditate to overcome and sustain these intents.
“You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
