Robert J. Oppenheimer’s Gita quotes are a famous part of the philosophy of science. The text ventured beyond amusing literature and metamorphosed into moral epiphany as the “Manhattan Project” edged closer to successful completion.
In a recent interview, as a part of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer press tour, lead actor Cillian Murphy disclosed that he had read the Bhagavad Gita as a part of his preparation. Unknown to many, the Hindu holy text was an integral part of the historical Oppenheimer’s “Manhattan Project” journey.
Elaborating on Oppenheimer’s Gita connection, Murphy said in the interview: “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 [Oppenheimer] … he kind of needed it and it provided him a lot of consolation, all his life.”
The much-anticipated Oppenheimer charts the main man behind the fascinating story of the Manhattan Project and its gruesome conclusion in the Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic explosion that signaled the end of WWII. Nolan’s passion project boasts of a seasoned star-cast comprising Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downing Jr., Emily Blunt, and Florence Pugh.
The real-life J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, is also known for his fascination and connection with Hinduism. His closest Eastern association, however, remains the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is integral to the Indian epic the Mahabharata.
It is written in the form of a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna (who serves as his charioteer and divine guide) in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Its teachings emphasize the importance of performing one’s duty with detachment and devotion to God, transcending the attachment to the fruits of one’s actions.
The iconic American theoretical physicist called the Gita, “the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” He indulged in reading the text during his leisure hours, deriving personal enjoyment from it.
Additionally, he would share it with friends for entertainment while he resided in Berkeley, where he received Sanskrit lessons from the knowledgeable Arthur W. Ryder. Remarkably, Sanskrit was his eighth language. Notably, a copy of the Gita, bound in pink and meticulously held together with scotch tape, graced his study at Princeton.
As far back as 1932, Oppenheimer referenced the Gita, drawing wisdom from its philosophy of war. He wrote in a letter: “I believe that through discipline… we can achieve serenity… I believe that through discipline we learn to preserve what is essential to our happiness in more and more adverse circumstances… Therefore I think that all things which evoke discipline: study, and our duties to men and to the commonwealth, war… ought to be greeted by us with profound gratitude; for only through them can we attain to the least detachment; and only so can we know peace.”
The Gita would go on to dominate his personal and professional musings. It figures in large parts in the letters addressed to his brother Frank —alongside other Hindu texts like the Vedas and the Meghaduta.
For instance, in a 1934 letter, Oppenheimer told Frank: “Only a very long letter can make up for my great silence, and for the many sweet things for which I have to thank you, letters and benevolences stretching now over many months. Benevolences starting with the precious Meghaduta, and rather too learned Veda… The Meghaduta I read with Ryder, with great delight, some ease, and great enchantment; the Veda lies on my shelf, a reproach to my indolence.”
Moreover, two days before the preliminary “Trinity” nuclear test, Oppenheimer expressed his hopes and fears about the weaponization of atomic power with a quotation from 5th-century Hindu philosopher Bhartṛhari’s Śatakatraya:
“In battle, in the forest, at the precipice in the mountains,
On the dark great sea, in the midst of javelins and arrows,
In sleep, in confusion, in the depths of shame,
The good deeds a man has done before defend him”
Nonetheless, the Gita ventured beyond amusing literature and metamorphosed into a critical moral epiphany as the atomic bomb edged closer to existence. Oppenheimer later recalled that, while witnessing the 1945 successful test explosion, he thought of a famous verse from the Bhagavad Gita:
divi sūryasahasrasya bhavedyugapadutthitā
yadi bhāḥ sadṛṥī sā syādbhāsastasya mahātmanaḥ
“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”.
However, Oppenheimer’s triumphalism soon evaporated when news of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing reached American shores. In 1965, in the documentary “The Decision to Drop the Bomb,” he recalled a Gita verse that entered his head as the scale of destruction in Japan sunk in.
He said, “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”
In mid-August of 1945, Oppenheimer traveled to Washington to express his revulsion for his own invention and the blood on his hands, as well as the wish to see nuclear weapons banned.
After an unpleasant meeting with President Truman, Oppenheimer was turned away, empty-handed. As years went by, he emerged as a prominent advocate against nuclear technocracy and proliferation, as well as the escalating arms race involving nuclear weapons between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Nonetheless, Oppenheimer would struggle with his conscience and regret his part in the Hiroshima-Nagasaki devastation for the rest of his life. Contemporary sources said he heavily depended on the Gita to navigate through his dilemma and make sense of his actions.
His predicament has gone down in history as the “Oppenheimer moment,” a term used to describe situations where individuals are confronted with a moral dilemma, ethical choice, or a critical juncture that requires them to make a weighty decision that could shape the course of history or profoundly impact their personal or professional lives.
On AI Appreciation Day, in a promotional meet, director Christopher Nolan said his upcoming film warns of the danger of unbridled AI. Drawing parallels between the Silicon Valley’s irresponsible and incautious AI innovations and Oppenheimer’s development of the nuclear bomb, Nolan said: “When we talk about AI, when we talk about [human rights and accountability issues] — they’re all ultimately born from the same thing, which is when you innovate with technology, you have to maintain accountability … When I talk to the leading researchers in the field of AI right now, for example, they literally refer to this — right now — as their Oppenheimer moment. They’re looking to history to say, ‘What are the responsibilities for scientists developing new technologies that may have unintended consequences?’”