How was Robert J. Oppenheimer linked to Hindu Scriptures? Details explored ahead of Christopher Nolan biopic 

Oppenheimer, the highly awaited biographical epic movie, which is based on the 2005 biography about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic bomb," is all set to hit the theaters this Friday, July 21, 2023. This is Christopher Nolan's latest project and features several big Hollywood stars, including Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and more.

In a recent interview with Sucharita Tyagi, Cillian Murphy, who plays the lead role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the upcoming movie, opened up about reading the Hindu Scripture Bhagavad Gita as a part of his preparation for the role.

"I did read the Bhagavad Gita in preparation, and I thought it was an absolutely beautiful text, very inspiring. I think it was a consolation to him (Oppenheimer), he kind of needed it and it provided him a lot of consolation, all his life," he said.

Ever since the interview was released, fans have been quite curious to learn all about the connection between Hindu Scriptures and legendary scientist and physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was deeply impacted by several philosophical texts, including the Bhagavad Gita.

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Robert J. Oppenheimer read the Bhagavad Gita in the original Sanskrit language

A still of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Image Via Wikipedia)

Robert J. Oppenheimer had a set of diverse interests, key among them being a fondness for things that are cryptic and mystical, as per India Times. This also led him to associate himself with Hindu texts like the Gita and the Upanishads.

Initially, he read them through English translations. However, due to his deep interest in the Hindu scriptures and his desire to read them in their original forms, he began to learn the Sanskrit language under the supervision of Arthur W. Ryder in 1933 at Berkeley. After learning the language, he went on to read the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita in their original form in Sanskrit.

As per the Indian Express, following the successful testing of the first nuclear bomb in a desert in New Mexico in 1945, the first words that reportedly ran through the scientist's mind was a quote from the Gita:

“If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One… I am become death, the shatterer of worlds.”

The scientist cited the Bhagavad Gita as one of the books that shaped the primary philosophy of his life. In a letter to his brother, he wrote about Gita, saying it was, "very easy and quite marvelous...the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue."

The physicist also ended up presenting his close friends with copies of the Bhagavad Gita. As per the Time magazine, he often read it for his own delight or even to friends who came visiting and always kept a worn-out copy of the scripture on his personal bookshelf at his desk at all times.

Such was the influence of the Hindu texts on him that he even nicknamed his car "Garuda," as per Firstpost. As per Hindu mythology, Garuda is the mount bird of Vishnu, the Hindu god.

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It will be quite interesting to see how Nolan's movie will portray this deep connection between the protagonist of the movie and the Hindu scriptures.

A brief description of the new movie, given by Universal Pictures, reads as follows:

"Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it."

Don't forget to watch the movie in theaters near you from July 21, 2023.