Lord Vishnu Has a Son Named Aiyyappa

Aiyyappa/Manikantha - Called as Hari hara putra. he was raised by King Rajashekara.

Reason behind his birth 

Reason behind his birth :

• There was a story behind why he had to born - In Kerala, there was a demon named Mahishasura. He did tapas and Lord Brahma was forced to grant his wish that nobody on earth could annihilate him

• Realizing that only a superhuman power could exterminate the wayward Mahishasura, the devas appealed to Goddess Durga, who killed him in a bloodybattle. That’s why she is called as “Mahishasura Mardhini”
• Mahisha means Buffalo. Mahishasura seemingly had the head of Buffalo. Mahishasura madhini means the one who slay the Mahishashura.

• Determined to avenge her slain brother, Mahishi, the sister of Mahishasura secured a boon from Lord Brahma that no being except the offspring of Vishnu (Hari) & Shiva (Hara) could slay her. She started terrorizing both earth and devaloka.
• So Manikantha was born (Read the explanation below)
• King Rajashekhara of Pandalam was childless devotee of Shiva and when he went on hunting trip he found this infant. he longed to take the child home to his palace.
• A sadhu appeared from nowhere and instructed him to take the infant to his palace. Also the mendicant assured him that the child would mitigate his dynasty’s sufferings and that when the boy turned twelve, Rajashekhara would be aware of his divinity. As the child was wearing a gold chain, the sadhu directed the King to name him ‘Manikantha’ – one with a golden neck. It was given by lord vishnu.
• Meanwhile the Queen had given birth to a male child who was named Raja Rajan.
• After many years Rajasekara, decided to crown manukantha as prince; he obviously considered manikantha his eldest son.
• But queen wanted her biological son to be the next king so she planed with diwan of the court and pretended sick. and made royal doctors made tell the king that only a Tiger’s milk can cure the disease. (It a plot to kill manikantha).
• All of kings efforts failed to bring milk of tiger and manikantha stepped in. He rejected to take soldiers with him when he entered the forest. And he went alone.
• But on the way, he chanced to witness the atrocities of the demoness Mahishi in Devaloka. His sense of justice outraged, Manikantha hurled Mahishi onto the earth below; she fell on the banks of the Azhutha River. A bloody battle soon ensued and at the end, Manikantha killed her.(Mahishi was cursed to be a asura by a sage many time ago. That’s why she turned demonic)
• Then Lord Shiva appeared and told him that Devara Indra will help fulfilling his goal. Manikantha made his way to the Royal palace on Lord Devendra, disguised as a tiger; they were accompanied by female devas in the guise of tigresses and male devas as tigers.

   

• The people of Pandalam panicked upon seeing the boy and the tigers and hurriedly sought shelter.
• The King grew silent and pensive, as Manikantha approached the palace gates with the tigers.
• Unable to contain himself any longer, Rajasekara fell at the kid’s feet and begged for forgiveness, he had finally seen through his Queen’s pretence;The queen had ceased the moment Manikantha had left for the forest. On the day he returned from the forest, Manikantha turned twelve years old.
• Manikantha reminded his father that as he had accomplished the task for which he had born, now he would return to Devaloka.
• Before his departure, the manikantha told the King that he as he was pleased by the king’s unflinching faith and devotion, he would grant him whatever boon Rajasekara requested for.King Rajasekara told him that they wanted to construct a temple in his memory and beseeches him to suggest a suitable place for the temple.
• Manikantha aimed an arrow which fell at a place called shabari, where in Sri Rama's era a Sanyasini called shabari observed Dhavam ( She bit and tasted every fruit before giving it to Rama because she wanted to give him the sweetest of fruits,,that place was named after her.). Lord Manikantha told the King to build the temple in that place and then he disappeared.
• That’s why - Shabarimalai Aiyyappa.
• Sri Ayyappa" is used as a respectful form of address in Malayalam and Sanskrit.

How Manikantha born:

Once Vishnu tales the form of Mohini and kills a demon. And when Narada tells Shiva about mohini’s maya, Shiva and Parvati goes to Vaikuntha and Shiva asks Vishnu to take on the Mohini form again so he can see the actual transformation for himself. Shiva said he can withstand the charms and Maya of Mohini, also Parvati wanted to test it.

So Vishnu turned to Mohini avatara and Shiva fell for the Maya of Mohini. Parvati hangs her head in shame and envy. And thus Manikantha was born. Since Vishnu dint had womb, its been said that vishnu used his thigh instead f womb.

• The Tripurarahasya, a south Indian Shakta text, retells the story, giving more importance to the Goddess. When Shiva wishes to see Vishnu's Mohini form again, Vishnu fears that he may be burned to ashes like Kamadeva by the ascetic Shiva. So, Vishnu prays to goddess Tripura , who grants half of her beauty to Vishnu, begetting the Mohini-form.

Mohini - comes from the verb root moha. Meaning "to enchant, perplex, or disillusion," and literally means "delusion personified”.

So Lord Vishnu does have Son.

Mohini :

• Mentioned earliest in Samudra mathana story , then Bhasmasura vadha etc- Vishnu purana, Padma Purana and Brahmanda Purana, skanda purana.
• Brahmananda purana - after meditation upon the Great Goddess Maheshvari,Vishnu acquires her form to trick the asuras.
• In a lesser-known tale in the Ganesha Purana (900—1400CE) the wise asura king Virochana is rewarded a magical crown by the Lord Surya. The crown shields him against all harm. Vishnu as Mohini then enchants Virochana and steals his crown. The demon, thus unprotected, is killed by Vishnu.
• Manikantha’s birth - Bhagavata Purana, Agni purana, Shiva purana.

Different purans states story with slight changes, but when we summaries its all same. Some says Manikantha’s birth isnt mentioned in Puranas.

Mohini

His First son is Brahma who Born from His(Lord Vishnu’s) Lotus navel. We are all Brahma’s Children and ultimately of Lord Vishnu as Vishnu is Father of Brahma(From whom Rudra/Shiva Appeared).

Lord Krishna Says —

Bg 14.3 — The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata.

Bg 14.4 — It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.

Note — Some people consider ayappa as a son of harihara(mohini and shiva) but this story has no reference in any of the 18 puranas or itihasa vedic scriptures.

Vishnu does have children according to the Hindu mythology. If you consider his several avatars, the list is longer.

• Kamadeva, the Indian Cupid is generally considered the son of Vishnu. There are several other theories about Kamadeva's birth ,but most theories point to Vishnu as the Father.
• Aiyappa is the son of Mohini- the feminine version of Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
• Lord Rama, the fifth avatar of Vishnu had two twin sons Lava and Kusha.
• Lord Krishna - an avatar of Vishnu is said to have had 1,61,080 sons from his 16,108 wives.

So indirectly, he is father to many sons/daughters, and even a mother in one peculiar case.