Robert Oppenheimer - Swami Tathagatananda

‘On the bookshelf of life’, says Dag Hammarskjoeld, ‘God is a useful work of reference, always at hand but seldom consulted.’ J Robert Oppenheimer, the man who made the Atom Bomb, used to refer that great book occasionally. Arthur Rider, the great Sanskrit scholar, used to hold a class on religion and Indian philosophy in his house every Thursday. A group of earnest souls used to read the Gita, Kalidasa, Bhartrihari, and other books on Indian philosophy, religion, and literature. Oppenheimer learnt Sanskrit in his spare time. He had a great liking for oriental poetry and philosophy. He was a great admirer of art too. He was one of the enthusiastic members of this group. His knowledge of Sanskrit was much improved in this company. One of the main reasons that has still kept his interest in the Gita and Vedanta is that they do not clash with latest investigations of science. He has beheld, even from a distance, the splendid harmony of the laws of nature. He was convinced of the grandeur of divine life. ‘While God is the starting point’, says Max Planck, ‘of the ignorant, He is the crown of the career of a scientist.

© `Glimpses of Great Lives’ by Swami Tathagatananda published (1999) by The Vedanta Society of New York, 34 West 71st Street, New York, NY 10023, USA.

Click here to view the full contents of the article.

<< Back