Will incarnation concept do great harm than doing good to humans?

I am covering 2 points here.

• How the concept of incarnation emanated?
• Why incarnation concept will do great harm than doing good to humans?

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I) How the concept of incarnation emanated?

As far as I understood, from the study of texts like Rig Veda, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, there is no incarnation concept in (i) Rig Veda, Upanishads, and (ii) the Original Texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata (sans interpolations).

This incarnation concept can be found in the interpolated stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata, viz.,

·        Shri Rama, Shri Krishna, etc, as incarnation of Vishnu

·        Sita is the incarnation of Lakshmi

Puranas extended this concept to other Gods as well, ie., Shri Hanuman, Ashwatthama of Mahabharata as the incarnation of Shiva.

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a) Rig Veda

It contains the idea of liberation from mortality and making immortal .

Example:- mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt (as in Mrityunjaya mantra - Rig Veda 7.59.12).

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b) Chandogya-upanishad

Chandogya-upanishad 5.10.7 contains, perhaps, reference to the one of the earliest ideas of re-birth.

तद्य इह रमणीयचरणा अभ्याशो ह यत्ते रमणीयां योनिमापद्येरन्ब्राह्मणयोनिं वा क्षत्रिययोनिं वा वैश्ययोनिं वाथ य इह कपूयचरणा अभ्याशो ह यत्ते कपूयां योनिमापद्येरञ्श्वयोनिं वा सूकरयोनिं वा चण्डालयोनिं वा ॥ ५.१०.७ ॥

Among them, those who did good work in this world [in their past life attain a good birth accordingly. They are born as a brāhmin, a kṣatriya, or a vaiśya. But those who did bad work in this world [in their past life] attain a bad birth accordingly, being born as a dog, a pig, or as a casteless person.

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c) Bṛhaddevatā

It was in Bṛhaddevatā - written by Sage Shaunaka, that we find reference to the concept of incarnation. Bṛhaddevatā contains myths, prevalent at that point of time (nearly 2,500 years from the present times) and the details of the deities worshipped in hymns of Rigveda.

The devata of Rigveda tenth mandala 47 and 48 suktas (hymns) is Indra Vaikuntha.

According to Bṛhaddevatā, this is not Vishnu but one of the incarnations of Lord Indra. He is named as Vaikuntha because of his mother Vikuntha, daughter of Prajapati.

In VII.49 -52 of The Bṛhaddevatā, the deeds of Indra was described.

There was an Āsuri, daughter of Prajāpati, Vikunthā by name. She, desiring a son like Indra, performed very severe austerities. She then obtained from Prajāti her desires (in the form of) various boons. And Indra himself was born of her, as he wished to slay the Daityas and Danavas. Once he was engaged in battle with the Danavas.

Of them he slew nine nineties and seven groups of seven. Having shattered with the might of his arm the citadels of gold, silver, and iron, (and) having slain all (of them) in their respective spheres (yathāsthānam), as arrayed on earth and the other (two worlds). On earth he exterminated both the Kālakeyas and the race of Puloma, the archer, and in heaven the notorious (tan) offspring of Prahlada.

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d) Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita is itself an interpolated version in Mahabharata.

The first codified form of assurance from the God, that he would take various births in order to eliminate evil and restore Dharma, can be found in Bhagavad Gita 4.7 and 4.8.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7||

Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest Myself on earth.

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् |
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे || 8||

To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.

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II) Why incarnation concept will do great harm than doing good to humans?

The general tendency of the ordinary humans is to emulate a celebrity or a legend, who achieved greater heights in their chosen field.

We can observe in the present world lakhs of people treating their favourite Movie star/Sports person/Political leaders, viz., Sharukh Khan/Sachin Tendulkar/Subhash Chandra Bose, etc.

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We have to remember that adherence to TRUTH, DHARMA and HUMILITY, apart from doing individual japa/meditation, etc, is sine qua non in progressing in spiritual practices.

Sage Valmiki gave Ramayana to the World, with an intention to present to the humans a role model in the form of Shri Rama, just a prince of Ayodhya and who was desribed by Sage Valmiki as the embodiment of TRUTH, DHARMA, HUMILITY and Valour.

रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः साधुः सत्य पराक्रमः |

राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवानाम् इव वासवः || ३-३७-१३

"Rama is the embodiment of righteousness, truthfulness, valour, and Humility, as with Indra to all gods he is the king of entire world.

It was the intention of Sage Valmiki to encourage ordinary people to emulate the qualities of Shri Rama, to make their day-to-day activities as well as spiritual practices smoother.

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Similarly, Sage Vyasa presented to the world the character of Shri Krishna as a role model of all virtues.

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With the addition of interpolated stories, elevating Shri Rama and Shri Krishna as the incarnations of Vishnu and related Leelas/superhuman activities, the subsequent scholars might have achieved their object of glorification of the characters Shri Rama and Shri Krishna, but

• diverted the attention of the ordinary people from emulating the noble characteristics of Shri Rama and Shri Krishna towards just eulogising those incarnations of Vishnu, thereby deviating from the loft ideals of Sage Valmiki and Sage Vyasa.
• the over glorification of incarnations of Vishnu led to misunderstanding among ordinary people that the idea of God taking incarnation to "destroy evil-doers and protect the righteous" and consequential passive fatalism, where humans feel their efforts are unnecessary.