Seeking the Infinite: How One Pilgrimage to Maha Kumbh Mela Redefined Yakub Mathew’s Spiritual Quest

Yakub Mathew’s Seeking the Infinite, launched by Sadhguru in New York, traces his transformative Maha Kumbh journey and offers a powerful multi-faith exploration of humanity’s search for the divine.

Yakub Mathew, a Syrian Christian with roots in Kerala who grew up in Delhi and has spent the last four decades in the United States with his wife Shilpa Mathew, unveiled his new book Seeking the Infinite at a packed event in New York on November 16. The launch, formally led by spiritual leader Sadhguru, introduced a work that blends personal reflection, philosophical inquiry, and an expansive exploration of humanity’s search for the divine.

Maha Kumbh Mela: The Turning Point in Mathew’s Search

The book is profoundly shaped by Mathew’s own life-changing journey. A couple of years ago, after confronting a significant personal health crisis, he traveled to the Maha Kumbh Mela with a small and diverse group of friends from around the world. What was initially imagined as a joyous celebration of Yakub’s 60th birthday gradually transformed into a deep reflection on life’s eternal questions. What began as a simple attempt to capture their memories soon evolved into a far more contemplative and ambitious project. The resulting book is enriched by insights from more than fifty renowned personalities from a wide range of disciplines, each contributing to the broader understanding of spirituality and the human quest for meaning.

Amid the vast confluence of seekers, saints, rituals, and ancient traditions at the Kumbh, Mathew, rooted in a Christian upbringing, found unexpected solace and clarity. The experience broadened his understanding of godliness and revealed a multi-faith spirituality that exists beyond the boundaries of religion. As Mathew reflects in the book, “The Maha Kumbh reminded us that beyond faith and culture lies a shared divine essence, and through this work, we hope to spark interfaith harmony and inspire seekers everywhere to look within and seek the Infinite.”

Panel of Spiritual Leaders Explores Universal Godliness

The New York launch event mirrored this multi-faith ethos. Following Sadhguru’s release of the book, a wide-ranging panel discussion was moderated by Suhel Seth and featured an eclectic and distinguished group of thought leaders: theologian Diana Heck, Reverend Winnie Varghese, Rabbi Scott Matous, Guruji Sri Anish, and the author himself. Together, they explored the book’s key themes, including the multi-faith spirit of the Maha Kumbh Mela, the evolving relationship between religion and spirituality, and the role of sacred practice in shaping the human experience across centuries. The panelists emphasized that while religions differ in rituals and narratives, the spiritual quest at their core is universal and profoundly human.

The standing-room-only crowd, an energetic mix of community leaders, scholars, spiritual practitioners, and readers, exemplified the very vision the book celebrates. The event became a lived expression of Seeking the Infinite, bringing together people from diverse traditions in shared curiosity, reverence, and openness. For many, the launch illuminated how a pilgrimage to the Kumbh Mela has yielded a universal story of seeking, healing, and rediscovering the infinite.