King Sakka returned victoriously to his palace in the Heaven of Thirty-Three. Next to it stood the mansion of his first wife, the reborn Good-doer. Outside the mansion was the garden of his second wife, the reborn Beauty. And there was the heavenly pond of his third wife, the reborn Happy.
However, his fourth wife, Well-born, had died and been reborn as a slender crane in the forest. Missing her, Sakka found her and brought her to the Heaven of Thirty-Three for a visit. He showed her the homes of his other wives and explained that their good deeds had earned them merit, leading to happiness in their past lives and rebirths. He advised the crane to follow the Five Training Steps to gain merit and happiness.
The crane agreed and returned to the forest. Later, Sakka, curious about her progress, transformed into a fish to test her. As the crane was about to eat him, she remembered the first training step—to refrain from destroying life—and released the fish. Pleased, Sakka revealed himself and praised her.
In time, the crane died. Having followed the Five Training Steps, she gained merit and a peaceful mind, and was reborn into a potter's family in Benares. Sakka, seeking to help her further, disguised himself as an old man with a cart of golden cucumbers. He offered them freely only to someone who followed the Five Training Steps. The townspeople were puzzled, but the reborn Well-born, still practicing the steps, came forward. She affirmed her adherence and received the golden cucumbers as encouragement.
Throughout her life, she generously shared the gold, spreading happiness and gaining more merit. After death, she was reborn as a beautiful goddess, the daughter of the Asura king. When given the freedom to choose a husband, she was drawn to Sakka, who had disguised himself as an ordinary Asura. Recognizing their shared wholesomeness, she chose him.
Sakka took her to the Heaven of Thirty-Three, made her his wife once more, and they lived happily ever after.