Early in the morning of July 16, 1945, before the sun had risen over the northern edge of New Mexico’s Jornada Del Muerto desert, a new light appeared. It was blindingly bright, hellacious, and seemed to blast a seam in the fabric of the known physical universe. This was the Trinity nuclear test, overseen by the brilliant theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. This historical event marked the viability of the first proper nuclear weapon and the inauguration of the Atomic Era. Reflecting on the success of the test, Oppenheimer’s response was plain and even a bit curt: “I guess it worked.”
Over time, a legend befitting such a near-mythic occasion grew around the Trinity test. Oppenheimer himself would later mention that the explosion brought to mind a verse from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu scripture: “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one.” Toward the end of his life, Oppenheimer also quoted another passage from the Gita: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
Christopher Nolan’s epic blockbuster biopic, “Oppenheimer,” captures and amplifies this legendary aspect. In the film, Oppenheimer, portrayed by Cillian Murphy, gazes out over a black sky set aflame and hears his own voice in his head uttering the famous line, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This line also appears earlier in the film during a scene where a younger Oppenheimer woos his lover Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh. She pulls a copy of the Bhagavad Gita from his bookshelf and challenges him to translate a random passage, leading to the profound quote.
In Nolan’s portrayal, Oppenheimer’s knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindu religious tradition is depicted as just another one of his eccentricities. The film emphasizes his diverse interests, such as drawing inspiration for the name “Trinity” from a John Donne poem and bragging about reading all three volumes of Marx’s “Das Kapital” in the original German. However, this portrayal overlooks the deeper significance of Oppenheimer’s interest in Sanskrit and the Bhagavad Gita.
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In the biography “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer’s commitment to the Bhagavad Gita is portrayed as something more profound. While Nolan’s film touches on the quote’s significance, it fails to explore the full meaning behind it. Oppenheimer’s interest in the Gita reveals his personal understanding of the universe, his place in it, and his ethics, as limited as they may have been.
The Bhagavad Gita, composed sometime in the first millennium, takes the form of a poetic dialog between a warrior-prince named Arjuna and his charioteer, the Hindu deity Krishna in human form. During a decisive battle, Arjuna is filled with moral conflict and refuses to engage in combat, unwilling to slaughter his own kin. Throughout their lengthy conversation, Krishna attempts to alleviate Arjuna’s moral dilemma by guiding him to understand the grander design of the universe. Krishna argues that all living creatures are bound by dharma, or virtue, and as a warrior in a war, it is Arjuna’s dharma to serve and fight, much like the sun’s dharma is to shine and water’s dharma is to quench thirst.
This philosophical aspect of the Bhagavad Gita resonated deeply with Oppenheimer. It influenced his understanding of the moral implications surrounding his involvement in the development of nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer grappled with the consequences of his creation and the ethical dilemmas it presented. The Gita’s teachings allowed him to reconcile his actions within a larger framework, but it also added to his internal turmoil.
In expanding on Oppenheimer’s interest in the Bhagavad Gita, it becomes evident that his engagement with the scripture held significant meaning and shaped his worldview. It represented a profound reflection on the implications of his scientific work, the power unleashed by the Trinity test, and the responsibility he bore as a creator. Oppenheimer’s connection to the Gita provides a deeper understanding of his complex character and the moral dilemmas he faced throughout his life.
While Nolan’s film is visually stunning and captures the essence of the Trinity test, it falls short in fully exploring the role the Bhagavad Gita played in shaping Oppenheimer’s psyche. The deeper philosophical implications of Oppenheimer’s knowledge of Sanskrit and his relationship with the scripture add a layer of complexity to his character that shouldn’t be overlooked. Exploring this aspect of Oppenheimer’s life and the influence of the Bhagavad Gita provides a more comprehensive understanding of the man behind the bomb and the moral questions he grappled with.
