Rishi Yajnavalkya, who was a famous saint, had two wives, Katyayani and Maitreyi. When he thought that, according to the scheme of life adopted by the ancients, it was time for him to take to the life of Vanaprastha, i. e. life of a recluse, to be followed by the life of Yati or renunciation, he announced his intention to his two wives and said that he desired to divide all his possessions between them. Maitreyi to whom he first announced his intention thought that the summum bonum of life was the realisation of the self, compared to which earthly possessions had no value at all. She, therefore, said, “Will the wealth that you desire to give me, be of any use to me in realising the self? If not, why you want to give your property to me?” The sage replied, “Well, the wife has a right to the wealth of her husband.” “If so,” said Maitreyi, “I must have a share in your spiritual wealth, the greatest of which is self-renunciation. I must, therefore, ask you to let me follow in your footsteps and take to Sannyasa, as you are doing.”
Source: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad