Prophet as precursor

Zoroastrian scholar Sam N. Doctor spoke on the subject "God and Cosmogenesis in the Gathas of Zoroaster in the Light of Modern Scientific Theories” at the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute (KRCOI) on June 10, 2010. Muncherji N. Cama, president of the KRCOI presided. Doctor’s lecture, which pivoted around six verses from the Gathas, concentrated on two concepts: cosmology or the evolution of the cosmos or universe, and cosmogenesis, or the birth/origin of the universe, as per a write-up received by Parsi­ana.

In the Gathas, Prophet Zoroaster speaks of a "growing God,” which in terms of modern astrophysics or space-time science (including Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity), may be equated with an ever-expanding universe, maintains Doctor. The second concept, cosmogenesis, is in consonance with the "Big Bang” theory of modern science. According to the researcher, the Gathas contain the seminal element of modern scientific cosmic theories, establishing the Prophet as the precursor of these theories.

Doctor has an impressive and varied list of qualifications which include an MA in Ancient and Middle Iranian languages for which he was awarded a gold medal. He also holds a BSc in chemistry and physics with mathematics and a diploma in Sanskrit, all from Bombay University. Having completed one semester of course work for his PhD in Iranian and Comparative Oriental Studies from Berkeley University, USA, he obtained a DLitt from Zoroastrian College in Sanjan where the one-time lecturer and demonstrator in physics headed the department of Iranian studies. He was teacher of science, mathematics, English and Avestan language at The M. F. Cama Athornan Institute in Andheri, as per his bio data.

Sam Doc­tor: science and scriptures

The scholar, who has 20 research papers to his credit, has covered a wide canvas including Indo-Iranian studies, history, archeology and astronomy. In 2002 he presided over the Iranian section of the All India Oriental Conference. Currently, he is involved in three projects each in a different area of research. One of these is a voluminous book on the Gathas that he has been working on for the past 12 years, reveals his bio data.