“Vishnu’s Reincarnation”. Intaglio Etching 5 inch x 7 inch

“Vishnu’s Reincarnation”.  Intaglio Etching 5 inch x 7 inch

Julius Robert Oppenheim was napping. He had been struggling with the problem of nuclear fission. He dreamt that a large raven appeared and perched upon his shoulder. It murmured into his ear “I am become death, destroyer of worlds” and flew away. Julius awoke and was baffled by the words and meaning.

He continued his work which culminated with the horrific blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending history’s most violent conflict. Years later, filled with remorse, he was reading a sacred Hindu text Bhagavad-Gita written in 500 BC.  There, in chapter 11 verse 32 were the words once whispered to him in a dream.

The purpose of the raven's visit became clear. In 1965, when he was interviewed about the explosive power of their new weapon he said:

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, and 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 multi-armed form and says, "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

I suppose we all thought that one way or another.”