Journal of Meditation based Psychological Counseling (J Medit Psychol Couns)
Indexed in KCI
OPEN ACCESS, PEER REVIEWED
pISSN 2289-0823
eISSN 2671-6119
Research Article

Controversy and Interpretation of Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita Surrounding the Movie Oppenheimer

Research Professor, Soganag University Richard Schaeffler Institute

Correspondence to Kim, Chinyoung, E-mail: purohita@naver.com

Volume 31, Pages 51-59, June 2024.
Journal of Meditation Based Psychological Counseling 2024, 31, 51-59. https://doi.org/10.12972/mpca.20240005
Received on June 8, 2024, Revised on June 19, 2024, Accepted on June 19, 2024, Published on June 30, 2024.
Copyright © 2024 Meditation based Psychological Counseling Association.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita during the Trinity nuclear test by Oppenheimer, the main character of the movie Oppenheimer, released in 2023. The phrase he quotes is “Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds”. The phrase from Gita quoted by Oppenheimer in the film, along with the image of the provocative flash of a nuclear bomb and a mushroom cloud, contribute greatly to the visualization of the apocalypse of the end of the world. Quotes from Gita that we encountered through Oppenheimer’s documentaries, interviews, and autobiography are reproduced through movies, and children are learning these sentences at school. This article analyzes the phrases in Oppenheimer’s Gita and the possibility of mistranslation, and interprets various criticisms from mythologists, religious scholars, and philosophers surrounding the quote from various angles. This study analyzes cultural debates about symbolic and suggestive Hindu short verses and presents the theoretical basis for the true meaning and issues in religious philosophy. Through Oppenheimer’s film, the Gita has once again become a symbolic scripture representing Hinduism, and the passages he said are being reproduced as quotations representing the Gita. At this point, we discussed the issues of debate and criticism by modern scholars surrounding the passages.

Keywords

Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Bhagavad-Gita, Hinduism, Death

Section