Dharmanakha
Dharmanakha was a king of the Kekaya dynasty. He appears in the account of Hanumat Kuṇḍa in the Setu Māhātmya of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa. He had a hundred wives but no sons. He bathed at Hanumat Kuṇḍa in the Setu-kshetra (the sacred region of the Setu), and he was blessed with a hundred sons.
Background
Dharmanakha was a righteous king of the ancient Kekaya dynasty. This is the same line that Kaikeyī, the mother of Bharata, belonged to. Though he ruled with righteousness, he carried the deep sorrow of having no children. He had a hundred queens, yet no son had been born to him.
In the dharmic tradition, having no sons is a deep grief. Sons carry on the family line. They offer piṇḍa (rice-ball offerings) to the ancestors and perform the śrāddha rites.
Pilgrimage and the gift of sons
Dharmanakha came to the Setu-kshetra and bathed at Hanumat Kuṇḍa. This tīrtha (sacred bathing place) is named for Bhagavān Hanumān and blessed by him. By the grace of this tīrtha, Dharmanakha received a hundred sons, one from each of his hundred queens.
His account shows the power of Hanumat Kuṇḍa to remove the pain of childlessness and to fulfil the deepest wishes of righteous kings.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Setu Māhātmya, Chapter 15