https://variety.com/2024/film/features/oppenheimer-grandson-christopher-nolan-1235923101/
Dear Mr. Oppenheimer,
I concur with your thoughtful and informed commentary on the transformative role of your extraordinary “Grand" grandfather
I have however some specific concerns on certain parts of Dr. RO narrative was portrayed by Mr. Cillian Murphy in the spectacular BIOPIC “Oppenheimer.” I don’t know if there were actual videos of your Grandfather Dr. R. O repeating this statement, “Now I have become death, the destroyer of the world” on film made contemporaneously e.g. two days before the “Trinity Test” when the “Gadget” would be set off in Alamogordo, NM especially or at any other location or epoch of his life before or after the test or the explosions of Little Boy or Fat Man” on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This statement is erroneous representation of verse 32 of Discourse XI of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita in Arthur Ryder’s English “translation" of the text of the Srimad Bhagavad [SBG] that your grandfather seemed to rely on. A volume of Mr. A. Ryder book with your grandfather’s initials on the front-end page is in the Museum at the Site.
I would like to share my responses with your Mr. Charles Oppenheimer. I am at this moment not absolutely certain your brilliant inquisitive intellectual grandfather Dr. RO kept uttering a gross misrepresentation of the original Scripture that is written in Sanskrit and was “allegedly translated to English by Mr. AR or if Mr. Cillian Murphy and Mr. C. Nolan just took it on hearsay, assumed it was accurate and also relied solely on Mr. A.R. Book and kept uttering the erroneous words without reviewing original text of SBG in Sanskrit with transliteration and translation for example by Texts with commentaries from Srimad Adi Sankaracharya Bhagavata and or Srimad Ramanujacharya and or more contemporary Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati who started the Chinmaya Mission and or Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of International Society for Krishna Consciousness – the Hare Krishna movement. I am seeking answers from your good selves- Mr. C. Nolan, Mr. C. Murphy, and you last but surely not the least Mr. C. Oppenheimer.
Introduction.
There is a lack of evidence of due diligence in checking from source documents the accuracy and validity of the oft repeated message attributed to revered Hindu Scripture especially because this inaccurate quotation which straddles the crossroad of Quantum Physics and Spiritual explorations: instead of quoting the actual text Dr. RO repeatedly utters these erroneous words, “Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of the worlds.”
I hope to establish with respect to the mischaracterization of the teaching of Lord Sri Krishna after he transitioned to the Universal Form presented in the Eleventh discourse of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita [SBG] there is absolutely no valid and or reasonable explanation for the lack of due diligence in establishing the authenticity of the “Source Material” of the SBG viz., Arthur Ryder’s book with respect to accuracy of his presentation of the text. I hope after reading this rebuttal you will agree with my assessment. I tried to reach Christopher Nolan through NPR site by writing my response to the NPR interviewer without any response form the NPR interviewer about my concerns which were no address during the interview. This is my chance to try to reach the extremely talented actor Cillian Murphy who portrayed Dr. RO complex personality with great skill. CM could have added authenticity and genuineness in his efforts to connect empathically with millions of people by verifying the accuracy of the translation used by Dr. RO and providing the genuine precept offered in Holy Bhagavad Gita.
I am especially extremely disappointed neither Ms. Kai Bird, nor Mr. Chris Nolan and particularly the highly talented actor Mr. Cillian Murphy didn’t do due diligence and verify the source material on the crucial teaching from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita especially since he appeared to be in the BIOPIC and in his interview with Mr. Scott Pelley on 60 minutes [CBS] "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy on the preparation, hard work and instinct behind his acting - CBS News he appeared to mean what he said, about his commitment to establish an empathic engagement with people because what you do can influence the lives of others. It is quite astonishing that CM didn’t check and verify what was in the Bhagavad Gita text by Arthur Ryder that Jean Taplock pulled of her shelf when they were sharing a highly conflicted stressful intimate encounter in her home or when he was uttering the verse 32 Discourse 11 in the movie when the gadget worked perfectly not acceptable at all for a person of his caliber and inexcusable. Particularly because in the past according to Ms. Eileen Walsh his co -actor expressed CM’s commitment to be authentic in his portrayal of the what the script was looking of from the actors: But from the very beginning our warm-ups for "Disco Pigs" involved us punching each other quite hard. And, like, going for it, and then bursting out into it. This huge ball of velocity coming into it was the beginning of an "Oppenheimer," was the whole kind of atom of us.” Sadly, CM didn’t pay due heed to the text of the Bhagavad Gita to build an empathic connection to millions of inhabitants of the planet who watched the movie or learned about the frequent reference to the epic utterance by Lord Sri Krishna in the Holy Gita which is considered by many to be the Fifth Veda. I offer specific information to support my perspectives. CM could have made a major positive beneficent impact on millions of people of all faiths if he had showed genuine interest in authenticating what he was expected to portray in textually and emotionally at the critical moments in the BIOPIC when Dr. RO uttered the Verse 32 of Discourse 11 of the SBG.
I.
I would like to share my perspective on this problem where the precepts inculcated through the Text of a revered scripture which is considered by many millions as the fifth Veda is misquoted and misrepresented allowing serious misunderstanding of the context of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita [SBG] in its original form. I was very puzzled that Dr. R.O. didn't read the text when his girlfriend presented the Text presumably of the Gita, in the course of an intimate encounter and instead repeated the misquote because we are led to believe Dr. R.O learned Sanskrit and was familiar with the actual Text of the SBG.
I checked the text of the Bhagavad Gita translated by Mr. Arthur Ryder that was studied by Dr. R.O. These initials were inscribed in Front end page. This is a link to the Bhagavad Gita translated by Arthur Ryder: #116 - The Bhagavad-Gita. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library. Mr. Ryder offers only his version of the text in his translation;” ‘Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.”
AR does not appear to offer transliteration or the original Text in Devanagari script to back up his translation. Anywhere in the text. In the 11th Canto. Verse 32 [he numbers the verses are listed on every fifth verse; He translates thus V32 of D11: Death am I, and my present task destruction. View in me the active slayer of these men; for though you fail and flee, these Captains of the hostie host shall die and shall cease to be. This is V32, D 11 in the original text: “The Blessed Lord said, Kalo smi Loka shaya pravriddho, Lokan Samahartum iha pravrrtah…I am the mighty world destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds.” This is true enough because in due time following a process governed by physical laws of creation, sustenance and dissolution occurs. Time is not just a terminator of mere mortals but also heavenly objects, even Lord Brahma at end of each cycle of Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution! Our Telescopes have revealed and continue to reveal Stars being born evolving, devolving, and exploding.
I decided to check the full text of the Bhagavad Gita Translated By Mr. Arthur Ryder. Oppenheimer’s copy of "Bhagavad-Gita," translated by Arthur W. Ryder, is part of the collections at the Lab’s Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. [Oppenheimer’s handwritten initials appear in the upper right corner of the front endpaper} I wonder whether the authors of the American Prometheus had perused this text authored by Mr. Ryder and if they knew that there was no verse transliterated directly from the Sacred scripture that would have allowed Dr. R.O to read it out for his girlfriend when she placed the opened book in front of him. There is only a translation of the specific verse that is nowhere near what the original text of the scripture appeared to enunciate.
After I perused the book authored by Dr. A. Ryder I could see and understand why Dr. R. Oppenheimer had acquired this misapprehension of the true teaching in the series of verses I have offered from the 11th discourse. I am really sad for him that he didn’t get to read the Sanskrit text in the Devanagari script in a transliterated form. I honor him for being an indefatigable seeker while he experimented tirelessly and creatively with a prolific team in the complicated and very dangerous cross roads of Quantum Physics and spiritual insights on the dynamic ever evolving nature of Creation, sustenance, evolution devolution and dissolution and the lethal potentialities of Fusion and Fission processes found in nature which are all working on Clock in fact our clocks are set on the rate of changes occurring at the Atomic level and specific frequency of Electromagnetic radiation.
Dr. R.O. could have read these original words out of the Book if the text offered by his girlfriend had the original verse form the Bhagavad Gita published instead of a mere translation without offering work meanings of the phrases in the verses. instead of articulating the misquoted statements attributed to the Bhagavad Gita. I provide you with the information that can make up for the missing vital information from the Original Text of the Sacred Scripture Bhagavad Gita that is considered the Fifth Veda. To many it is virtually sacrilegious to alter the words inscribed into the original text in any way especially when the author provides only a “translation” of the purported Verse from SBG without the original text in the Devanagari script or with an authentic English transliteration of the text of the SBG.
One of the major problems of the manner in which Dr. Arthur Ryder treated the task at hand of deciphering the precepts enshrined in the 700 verses of the SBG which is regarded by millions as the Fifth Veda he didn’t appear to consider the content of the specific verses he is translating in the light of insights shared by Bhagawan Veda Vyasa in the previous Discourses preceding and following the specific verse being considered. I offer these verses from the tenth discourse that preceded the epochal verse 32 in Discourse XI, “The Supreme Lord said: “I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds” … that offers insights into this great revelation.
BG 10.30: Chapter 10, Verse 30 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda (holy-bhagavad-gita.org): I am Prahlad amongst the demons; amongst all that controls I am time. Know me to be the lion amongst animals, and Garuda amongst the birds.
BG 10.41: Chapter 10, Verse 41 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda (holy-bhagavad-gita.org)
Whatever you see as beautiful, glorious, or powerful, know it to spring from but a spark of My splendor. I would have been inclined to quote this verse when I witnessed the indescribable mysterious humongous nuclear fission explosion at the Trinity site. The following two verses will be of interest to scientists studying particle physics.
BG 10.42: Chapter 10, Verse 42 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda (holy-bhagavad-gita.org)
What need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjun? Simply know that by one fraction of My being, I pervade and support this entire creation.
These verses are especially meaningful for Quantum Physicists and especially those who study and characterize particles and energy waves who formed a core group of scientists committed to achieving a successful culmination of the Manhattan Project... The powerful and singular teachings imparted by Lord Sri Krishna to his pupil Arjuna as every human through the ages, in the Tenth Discourse prepares the seeker for the extraordinary unimaginable and indescribable revelations about Nuclear fission type phenomena starting in Verse 32 of the Eleventh discourse.
II.
I offer these related verses from the 11th Discourse to provide context and fuller appreciation of these momentous interactions between the Supreme Lord and a devoted human [Nara] represented by Arjuna. I have been chanting the SBG two or three times a day in measured portions, over the past year. I have with God’s grace have been able to chant the whole 700 verses with God's grace several times over after surviving serious heart challenges from Oct ‘22 through January ‘23.
Some of descriptions in Discourse 11 of the SBG absolutely matches up with the recordings and descriptions we have of the first blast at Trinity site. I offer you the relevant verses.
Arjuna Speaks:
SBG 11.24: O Lord Vishnu, seeing Your form touching the sky, effulgent in many colors, with mouths wide open and enormous blazing eyes, my heart is trembling with fear. I have lost all courage and peace of mind. [This description is illustrative of the phenomena set in motion and visible even today in the videos of the Chain reaction was initiated at the Trinity Site.VM]
SBG 11.25: Having seen Your many mouths bearing Your terrible teeth, resembling the raging fire at the time of annihilation, I forget where I am and do not know where to go. O Lord of lords, You are the shelter of the universe; please have mercy on me. [This raises the specters of the Black holes in the center fo the constellations that sucks everything in and even prevents light from escaping. Black holes were studied by Dr. R.O before he took charge of the Manhattan Project VM]
SBG 11.28-29: As many waves of the rivers flowing rapidly into the ocean, so are all these great warriors entering into Your blazing mouths. As moths rush with great speed into the fire to perish, so are all these armies entering with great speed into Your mouths. [ Further description of these mysterious consummatory astronomical phenomena.VM]
SBG 11.30: With Your fiery tongues You are licking up the hosts of living beings on all sides and devouring them with Your blazing mouths. O Vishnu, You are scorching the entire universe with the fierce, all-pervading rays of Your effulgence. [This could be describing the blazing heat and radiant heat that was transmitted at the speed of light from the Trinity site.VM] SBG 11.31: Tell me who You are, so fierce of form. O God of gods, I bow before You; please bestow Your mercy on me. You, who existed before all creation, I wish to know who You are, for I do not comprehend Your nature and workings. This might also refer to totally magical images that were created in an ever-evolving manner in rapid succession. VM]
SBG 11.32: Lord Vishnu responds to Arjuna’s fearful pleas for protection and for further clarification of the mysteries of the Vishwa Roopa and who he became when he took this form. [Universal Form] that he was visualizing at his request. This 11th Discourse is entitled the witnessing [darshan] of the Universal Form. Viswaroopa.] It is at this point in his understand of the SBG, Dr. R.O. seems to intentionally or not slipped from identifying with Arjuna the Warrior with many ethical issues about Killing Family members, teachers and vast numbers of people that are described by him in Discourse One to abruptly in his moment of maximum stress as the Architect of Nuclear Fission Device that can change the future of all forms and life and in fact of the ages/stages that all creatures from Atoms to Mountains to planets, and the stars like our own Sun that are known to be on a finite timeline for our existence through our stay of Earth. This abrupt pivot to identifying with Preceptor Lord Krishana may have imparted a sense of power however futile and temporary over the future in the Atomic age especially after the Thermonuclear devices like the H Bombs that replicated the processes in the Stars including our Sun can wipe out civilization as we know it, when he repeatedly blurts out repeatedly, “‘Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds” I offer the authentic translation from the Sanskrit text written in the Devanagari script
SBG 11:32 [Lord Maha Vishnu Speaks]
The Supreme Lord said: “I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that comes forth to annihilate the worlds”. Even without your participation, the warriors arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to exist.” Time is indeed well documented as the destroyer of Civilizations a full cycle of Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution with a totally catastrophic phenomenon termed as pralaya occurs every 4.3 million years which is constituted by the four yugas, In Treta Yuga; the Civilization at the time of Lord Rama emerged and dissolved. In Dvapara Yuga at the end of which on the cusp of our age- Kaliyuga Lord Sri Krishna emerged because unrighteousness was gaining the upper hand and altering the balance and God has shown us through the work of brilliant scientist some means by which our current Kaliyuga may be within our power to end before this Yuga extending for the projected 250,000 years as in the past cycles of Time over the eons, at any time a nuclear device exchange is set into motion- because the primary secondary and quaternary sequalae could set in motion a nuclear winter that could cause the destruction of all forms of life on land, in the waters and in the skies at any moment in the course of time before the naturally occurring pralaya end the Kaliyuga some 250,000 years into the future from about 5000 years ago according to some calculations.. For the first time in our history between Fission and Fusion process that occurs right now naturally in the Stars like our Sun can be utilized as weapons to destroy the world[s]. This is why this statement is Verse 32 of Discourse11 is expressed by Lord Maha Vishnu, "I am the world destroying time." I have offered the full quote above .
SBG 11.33: Therefore, arise and attain honor! Conquer your foes and enjoy prosperous rulership. These warriors stand already slain by Me, and you will only be an instrument of My work, O expert archer.
SBG 11.34: Dronacharya, Bheeshma, Jayadratha, Karna, and other brave warriors have already been killed by Me. Therefore, slay them without being disturbed. Just fight and you will be victorious over your enemies in battle. [Dr.RO may have got confidence to proceed against the Japanese who were aligned with Hitler and the Nazi's after the III Reich crashed and burned [ without the use of the A Bomb during the prosecution of a Just war. that Arjuna was being instructed and supported to undertake.VM]
SBG 11.35: Sanjaya said: Hearing these words of Keshava, [Lord Krishna] Arjuna trembled with dread. With palms joined, he bowed before Shree Krishna and spoke in a faltering voice, overwhelmed with fear. Dr. R. Oppenheimer reportedly described his emotions in pedestrian terms not long after the blast that changed creation forever. The effect of the blast, he told Laurence, was "terrifying" and "not entirely undepressing." After pausing a moment, he added, "Lots of boys not grown up yet will owe their life to it." He was talking to William L. Laurence, the New York Times reporter selected by Groves to chronicle the event when he was more relaxed and able to process the profound implications of this terrifying device on all forms of creation as we know it. He preceded your contributions to enlightening the public about what happened on that momentous day in the life of great scholars and scientists.
III.
My website has many related information. velandymanoharmd.com Additionally, I offer these two resources. 1. Book Promotion 2023 This offers brief sketches on both eBooks I published early in 2023 a. “Sadhana Path” [this includes and its companion book, b. “The Wonder of it All, Amen” The website of the Temple is cvhts.org. The temple structures are the subject matter of my first book. b. The Wonder of It All, Amen (velandymanoharmd.com) This is the whole Companion eBook focused on promoting Inter- faith awareness and sustaining discussions about Spiritual traditions around the world. Thank you, Mr. Black for your service to take on specific concerns cited by readers. My Website: velandymanoharmd.com has related posts.
I welcome your esteemed responses. I gained much from perusing the many reports on the spectacular, spell binding, BIOPIC and this great interview about a premier character actor of our time, Mr. Cillian Murphy. I am grateful and offer what I am able to address a few important shortcomings that appeared in the really superbly done portrayal of extremely complex issues and presentation of magnificent events that heralded the dawn of the Atomic Age.
Velandy Manohar, MD.,
Founding member, Past Chair, Board of trustees of CT. Valley Hindu temple Society, and Past part time Priest at the Sree Satyanarayana Swamy Temple, Middletown, CT. Author of an eBook Sadhana Path about the Temple and Sanatana Dharma and a Companion eBook focused on promoting Inter- faith awareness and sustaining discussions about Spiritual traditions around the world. For about the past year I have been chanting verses from the SBG every day as much as three times a day on many days a week.
My website velandymanoharmd.com has many related links n Sanatana Dharma including essays on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. [SBG]
Chinmaya Mission Tri State Center- 2008 Gita Chanting Competition Judge.
I organized at our Temple way back in the 1990’s uninterrupted chanting of the 18 discourses of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita during Gita Jayanti in one sitting, hosted Bhagavad Gita Education at my home in the past and provided commentary of a certain number of verses of the SBG while a member of CVHTS and fellow devotee the late Ms. Veena Arora provided commentary on the Srimad Ramayana on a monthly basis.
Distinguished Life Member, Am. Psychiatric Association. [APA] President of Asian American Caucus of APA, President of Indian American Psychiatric Association
In 1990-91 Dr. D. Chandora a devoted BAP Swaminarayan Sanastah Member who brought the unacceptable characterization of Hinduism to my attention as President of IAPA and I along with members of the Indian American Psychiatric Association sought successfully to rebut very prejudicial statements about our Faith traditions in the Report of the Committee on Religion of APA who quoted Cardinal Ratzinger who became Pope Bendict XVI who was considered an authority on all the spiritual Traditions of the World. Our strongly supported Petition to rebut the divisive and demeaning perspective about Hinduism advanced by the Cardinal who was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Catholic faith in the Vatican was accepted and we received an apology from the Chair of the Committee on Religion. Furthermore, the APA approved our proposal to present remedial perspective in a workshop, which was well attended during the 1991 Annual APA Conference entitled “Indian Religions are not Cults.” am_program_1991.pdf (psychiatry.org) CHP: Velandy Manohar, MD Participants: Jambur V. Ananth, M.D., Larry D. Shinn, Ph.D., Arnold S. Weiss Ph.D., Jay L. Glasser, MD.