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

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.