In a time when digital e-books could come for free and paperbacks are cheaper than a meal, that one book at the 41st Patna Book Fair has changed the narrative around literature. A mind-boggling ₹15 crore will get you the book, which has been dubbed “Main” (I), the showstopper at Gandhi Maidan this December 2025.
Written by spiritual writer and native of Bihar Ratneshwar Singh, the book is not being marketed as a novel. Rather, the author referred to it as a “spiritual granth“, or a map of the road to God.
The Pricey Mystery: “Divine Valuation”
The first question that is on everyone’s lips is this. Why ₹15 crore? It was not a commercial calculation, but a “divine instruction,” Ratneshwar said. He says that the price reflects the scarcity of knowledge it possesses—a level of consciousness similar to what Gautam Buddha had reached.
“This is the cost I paid in my philosophy and in my journey,” the author said during a revealing of the piece. It was determined by a higher authority, not my ego. For the book to retain its exclusivity and spiritual importance it was limited to only 3 copies worldwide.A Brahman Muhurta Scribbled.
The origin story of “Main” is as mystical, in some ways, as its price tag. The book is 408 pages, has 43 chapters and Ratneshwar wrote the entire manuscript in a made time of 3 hours, 24 minutes.
He claims it was “unveiled” to him during the early-hours of September 7, 2006, in Brahma Muhurta. “Some 21 days before this, the author was said to have been in a state of sthitaprajna or unwavering equanimity where he claimed to have seen kings and goddesses as well teaching gods about ultimate reality.” The work deals with intricate spiritual concepts such as the 19 arts of life, the hues of human aura and profound ideologies related to Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yoga.
read also:
Hair Washing Days According to the Hindu Dharma Shastra
A few details about “Main (The ₹15 Crore Book)”
The book ” is the ‘Main’ (I)” written by eminent Bihar-born spiritual writer and journalist Ratneshwar Singh has hogged the limelight at 41st Patna Book Fair with an impressive price tag of ₹15 crore. Comprising 408 pages, it is penned by the writer who says it’s not just a book but “an encounter with the spiritual knowledge transcendental to that of Gautam Buddha” — something he calls ‘spiritual granth’ in real sense. In a miraculous moment of what Singh describes as divine inspiration, the complete work is said to have been produced in just 3 hours and 24 minutes at the auspicious time (Brahma Muhurta), which falls between 3.00 am and 6.00 am. To keep its exclusivity and spiritual sanctity, the book has only 3 copies in the world and even though it’s released in both Hindi & English – the book is essentially meant as a guidance for one to introspect internally to awaken personally; not as a material.
A Show for the Public, Not Just the Powerful
The price may be astronomical, but the author also contends that this is not just a billionaires’ book. At the Patna Book Fair, people are lining up not to buy it but for a closer look at — or even to take selfies with — its display. The pages were kept under lock and key due to their expense, and visitors could not leaf through them.
But Ratneshwar has made it clear that the high amount is exclusive of those who buy copies. The three copies that currently exist will eventually end up at particular spiritual centers for the general public to read or listen to, free of charge. “I feel that the purpose of the book is to send readers on their own interior journey, not sell a lot of copies,” he told me.
The Man Behind the Manuscript
Ratneshwar Singh is not new to the limelight. Hailing from Lakhisarai, Bihar he has written 20 books and scripted for TV show Mano Ya Na Mano. He was already a best-selling author with his last book, Jeet Ka Jadoo, but nothing has come quite so close to the Twitter sensation of “Main.”
Whether you see it as a profound spiritual treasure or the ultimate master class in how to market oneself, “Main” has certainly ensured that the 2025 Patna Book Fair will be one for the history books.
