Old Video Of Oppenheimer Quoting Bhagavad Gita Goes Viral, Here's All You Should Know About Him

Every Christopher Nolan film is a big deal. It's a guaranteed blockbuster. His films are not only loaded with science but are a blend of sci-fi and philosophy; and it usually takes more than one viewing to understand the concept of his movies.

Who is Oppenheimer, the man who inspired Christopher Nolan's upcoming movie?

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His next film Oppenheimer which is slated to release on July 21 is making all the right noise. The film is a biopic on Julius Robert Oppenheimer whose role Cillian Murphy will play in the film. Here's all you need to know about him.

The project he led made possible the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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Julius Robert Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, who lead the team aka the Manhattan Project that researched, designed and developed the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. He is hailed as the father of the atomic bomb.

He found solace in Bhagavad Gita

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While making a nuclear weapon that would kill millions of people, he was feeling guilty and struggled with his conscience. That's when he referred to Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. He found it useful as a philosophy to structure his life around. He was trying to make sense of his actions.

He associated himself with Arjun

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Oppenheimer could relate to Arjun who was advised by Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, during Mahabharata. Fighting against his own relatives, he remembered what Krishna told him that it was his duty to pick weapons against his own people,"Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds", a line Oppenheimer used in one of his interviews post the attack.

In Hindusim, the God is not only the creator but also involved in dissolution. Just like Arjun, he believed, he was doing his duty as a scientist to deliver a bomb during World War 2. He wouldn't determine who lives and who dies. He believed, just like Gita, Krishna will determine the same. So, he wouldn't mourn or rejoice over what fate has in store.

Watch: Julius Robert Oppenheimer Quotes Bhagavad Gita

After the attack, he quoted Bhagavad Gita and 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."

But he was against the use of atomic bombs

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Despite being influenced by Bhagavad Gita, he was against the use of atomic bombs. He even advocated against nuclear weapons, and was punished for it. In fact, he became one of the strongest voices against nuclear proliferation and the growing nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.

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He even advised President Harry S Truman to not use atomic bomb on Japan which was already defeated. He described it as a "weapon for aggressors" that had "the elements of surprise and of terror... intrinsic to it." He reportedly told the president that they both had blood on their hands.

He opposed US military establishment, which was keen on making more potent bombs and was accused of "aiding communists." He lost his security clearance after a high-profile trial in 1954.

Fifty-four years after his death, US government in 2022 nullified its 1954 decision and affirmed his loyalty calling the decision to revoke Oppenheimer's clearance was the result of a "flawed process."

Also Read: Cillian Murphy Confesses Reading 'Bhagavad Gita' While Preparing For His Role In 'Oppenheimer'

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