Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds

A closer look at some of Oppenheimer's words and why some people believe these are evidence of an ancient nuclear explosion.

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed. A few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multiarmed form and says “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of Worlds”. I suppose we all thought that, one way or another”

These famous words are from J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the lead scientists on the Manhattan Project, which he says came to mind when he saw the explosion of the first successful test of the nuclear bomb, the Trinity test, in 1945.

This Oppenheimer's quote is often used to illustrate the profound and horrifying power of nuclear weapons and the deep responsibility felt by those who created them. It's a poignant expression of the ambivalent feelings that many scientists involved in the project had: pride in their technical achievement, mixed with dread about the implications of their work.

But let’s take a closer look at where some of these words came from, how science and the ancient scriptures intertwine and how some people believe this is evidence of an ancient nuclear explosion on Earth.