Fact Check: Sunita Williams credits Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads for her safe return? No, this video is from 2013

A video of Sunita Williams saying that she takes Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other personal items to space is circulating on social media with claims that she credited them for her safe return.

By K Sherly Sharon
Published on : 22 March 2025 5:58 PM IST
Fact Check: Sunita Williams credits Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads for her safe return? No, this video is from 2013
Claim:Video shows Sunita Williams crediting Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads for her safe return after 9 months in space.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video of Sunita Williams speaking about Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads is from 2013.
Hyderabad: A video of a press meet where NASA astronaut Sunita Williams said she takes Bhagavad Gita, Ganesh Idol and the Odyssey to space with her is circulating on social media. The video is being shared with claims that Sunita Williams credited Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads for her safe return after nine months in space.
After an extended stay of 286 days at the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to earth on 18 March 2025.
In the video Sunita Williams can be heard saying to the media, ā€œI really appreciate my Indian heritage and was glad I could bring part of it with me to space. Ganesh has always been in my house, everywhere Iā€™ve lived I had Ganesh and so he had to come with me to space of course. And Indian food, you can never get enough of Indian food. I always make sure I have samosas in space with me.ā€
She added, ā€œBhagavad Gita, this last time I brought a small copy interpretation of Upanishad with me. I also brought along the Bhagavad Gita, the Odyssey and I thought that was also quite appropriate to be in space and have those types of things to reflect and read.ā€

Sharing the video clip on Facebook, a user wrote, ā€œI took a statue of Ganesh ji and Bhagavad Gita with me to space. These two things supported me, kept me away from mental stress:- Sunita Williams at a press conference in the USAā€¦Sunita Williams credits Bhagwad Gita & Upanishads for her safe return. She stayed in space for 9 months.ā€ (Archive)

Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claims are misleading. The video of Sunita Williams speaking about Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads is from 2013.

Using keyword search we found an extended version of the video uploaded on NDTV YouTube channel on 2 April 2013. The video was uploaded with the title,ā€ā€˜I had samosas in space with me, says astronaut Sunita Williams.ā€

According to the description of the video, it was taken when Williams spoke at the National Science Center in Delhi during her visit to India. The now viral part begins at the 0:39 minute mark in the YouTube video.

Talking about carrying personal things to space, she tells the media that she carried Bhagavad Geeta, Upanishads and the Odyssey. She said that these spiritual things offer, ā€œa little bit of reflection of yourself, your life and the world around you. Makes you see things a different way.ā€

We found a Hindustan Times report published on the same day with the title, ā€œSamosas, Ganesh idol in Sunita William's space kit.ā€ The report states that Sunita Williams told students at the National Science Centre in Delhi that she took a Ganesha idol and samosas to space.

Did Sunita Williams carry Ganesh idol during her last trip to space?

Several media reports have said that Williams carries Bhagavad Gita amongst other personal items to space.

A Republic World report published on 18 March 2025 with the title ā€œWhen Did Sunita Williams Last Visit India, What All Did She Do Here?ā€ stated that Williams took a copy of Bhagavad Gita during her last mission in May 2024.

The report, ā€œDuring her space mission aboard the Boeing Starliner last May, she brought along a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, symbolizing her strong cultural ties. Various media outlets have reported that Williams also carried a Lord Ganesha idol with her on this mission, continuing a tradition she has followed on past flights.ā€

A Bollywood Shadi report published on 8 May 2024 with the title ā€œSunita Williams Will Carry This Hindu Idol To Her 3rd Space Journey, Carried A Bhagavad Gita Earlierā€ has also stated that Williams would carry Bhagavad gita with her to space.

The report stated, ā€œIn an interview with NDTV, Sunita Williamsā€¦mentioned that a Ganesh idol was her 'lucky charm'. Thus, she wished to carry it on her third space mission, launched by the US space agency NASAā€™s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station.ā€
However, we did not find any news reports of Sunita Williams confirming that she has carried a copy of Bhagavad Gita aboard the Boeing Crew flight. The viral video is from 2013, when Sunita Williams visited India after her second expedition to space.

Sunita Williams has been on three journeys to space. The first one was from December 9, 2006 to June 22, 2007. The second one was from July 14, 2012 to November 18, 2012. The third and the most recent one started on June 5, 2024. Lasting 9 months, the space mission ended on March 18, 2025.

NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim that Sunita Williams credited Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads for her safe return during her 9 month long space mission are misleading. The video of Sunita Williams speaking about Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads is from 2013.
Claim Review:Video shows Sunita Williams crediting Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads for her safe return after 9 months in space.
Claimed By:Social Media Users
Claim Reviewed By:NewsMeter
Claim Source:Social Media
Claim Fact Check:False
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video of Sunita Williams speaking about Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads is from 2013.
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