Writer Devdutt Pattanaik has said that physicist J Robert Oppenheimer's interpretation of the Bhagvat Gita is incorrect.
(Photo: Instagram/devduttmyth)
Oppenheimer famously thought of a quote from the Gita after successfully carrying out the Trinity test, which led to the creation of the world’s first atomic bombs.
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Oppenheimer
After the success of the test, Oppenheimer thought, "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 destroyer of worlds."
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However, Pattanaik said that he has never come across this line in the Bhagavad Gita. He said, "Someone said it was chapter 11, verse 32, which really says ‘kaal-asmi’, which means ‘I am time, destroyer of the world."
(Photo: Instagram/devduttmyth)
The recently released Hollywood film Oppenheimer has actor Cillian Murphy playing the role of the physicist.
(Photo: Instagram/oppenheimermovie)
Pattanaik said, "For a scientist, if he has used this sentence… And I have seen that video also of his, where he keeps saying, ‘I am death, I am death’. It is very clearly, ‘I am time’. ‘Kaal’ means ‘time’."
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The author also said that death and destruction have never been equated to god in Hindu traditions. He said, "Oppenheimer comes from a Judeo-Christian background, where God is known to punish people with floods and fire..."
(Photo: Instagram/devduttmyth)
He added, "This act of killing humanity with violence is very much a part of Biblical traditions; it’s not a part of Hindu traditions, not a part of Jain or Buddhist traditions… I think he was looking for some solace, and he found this verse very dramatic."
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