Long time ago in Sri Lanka, there reigned a king called Yasalalaka Tissa. He was a good hearted person. He loved to crack jokes and satisfy his mind. This king had a guardsman named Subha. His appearance was identical to that of the king. If not for the dress one could not discern whether this is the king and whether this is the guardsman.
One day the king thought of cracking a joke on the ministers. He got the guardsman to dress up in the cloths of the king, and in truth the king attired and stood at the door with the sword in his hand. The ministers on their way to the royal court seeing the king seated on the throne said. ‘ Oh the king has arrived long before us today. We are late’. Saying so, they would worship the guardsman seated in the guise of the king. The king who was in the guise of the guardsman laughed at this, When all the ministers arrived the king and the guardsman would enter the royal chamber and return with their proper cloths.
This practical joke was performed for several days. But the ministers were not aware of it. The guardsman thought that this joke could help him to get rid of his inferiority. Tho achieve that he thought of a trick, and waited till the joke was cracked again.
On another day the very same joke was cracked. A certain minister came before the guardsman in the guise of the kin and worshipped, that particular moment, the king who was disguised as the guardsman laughed. At the spur of the moment, Subha showing his anger ordered.
” This guardsman is laughing before us, Without allowing him to utter a single word, I order you to behead him.”
The minister, who did not allow the king to utter a single word, took him to the executioner, and got the king behead, in one stroke.
On the very same day the ministers came to know the truth. But in order not to create trouble in the country, they allowed the guardsman to remain as the king.
