The Legend of Bhagavan
"I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
— Bhagavad Gita 11:32 as translated by
J. Robert Oppenheimer
LIFE magazine photo, Jan. 1, 1947
Powell died on New Year's Eve– the day before yesterday. Yesterday's post was dedicated to Will Smith in his role as golf caddy Bagger Vance. In the novel from which the Smith film was taken, "Bagger Vance" is an anglicized form of the term "Bhagavan" from the Bhagavad Gita. In the Gita, "Bhagavan" refers to Krishna– an incarnation, or avatar, of the god Vishnu.
Let us hope that when, on the last day of the old year, Powell met the Reaper, he appeared as neither fearsome Krishna nor grim Oppenheimer, but rather as the kinder, gentler Bagger Vance.
See also "Bhagavad Gita" in this journal.