The merchant had 4 wives but loved his 4th wife the most, showering her with gifts and luxuries. When dying, he asked each wife to accompany him but the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd wives refused. Only his neglected 1st wife, who was malnourished, agreed to follow him. The story is an allegory for how wealth, pleasure, and worldly relationships abandon us when we die, while our spiritual well-being is the only thing that remains.