It is no surprise that in a capitalist country like the United States, everything is influenced by capitalism. In layman’s terms, everything is business, and the treatment you get is proportional to what you give. When a business serves customers, surely the top tier customers get much better service and treatment than the bottom feeders or worse, those who redeem free coupons or sneak in with friends. This is mostly acceptable by society for most situations. After all, haven’t we given a nod to this class system by chasing rewards, airline or hotel tiers, and A-listers in events or VIP experiences for those that pay more? All good.

Do you know where this is not acceptable, at least in my dictionary? Temples and places of prayer. I cannot speak for all religions, but can talk a bit about the one I practice, Hinduism. When you expect better from other countries, like the US, or expect anything at all, perhaps disappointment follows. In the US, I eagerly went to the first temples I could visit. I am a bit of a history and spiritual buff. I love temples and the vibrations I get from Gods that in Hinduism are worshipped by uttering their holy names in front of a stone or marble idol, going around the deities and prostrating at their holy feet. It gives an inner peace like none other and a hope that you can conquer the world with their blessings.

Forever, in a country like India, there have been special entrance tickets and VIP treatments for those that pay higher. But for decades this has been accepted. I grew up in this culture where my father would pay extra to get to see god for longer. At the very famous Tirupathi Tirumala temple where there are special tickets and utsavams of various denominations when you do get to the Lord, the power still rests in the hands of the linemen and priests who swat people after a certain length of time, seconds for most, minutes for others and hours for the elite. Seems like time with the lord can be bought after all. But you don’t expect any better from a corrupt administration and country where “money can buy”. It is not just Tirupathi or any temple in particular. In hundreds of temples I have been to, the story is the very same. Whether it is our own Kula Deivam, any temple in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Mumbai, Delhi, or wherever you go. When the currency notes flow out into view, the expressions change, prayers get louder, bells ring, and you are welcomed into the innermost sanctum. But, this is par for the course, you don’t expect anything better from a system that has had decades of training, a lack of education, income inequality, and a drop in true devotion for years. Thank you, Zuck, Manmohan Singh, and several others.

However, in the US, whether you visit the temples in Pittsburgh, Aurora IL, Livermore CA, Pearland TX, Malibu CA, Bridgewater NJ, or any other temple, you don’t expect to get the same vibes from the ancient stone idols of the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, Kabaleeswarar temple in Mylapore or Tanjore or Srirangam. I first noticed this in Livermore CA, where there are two major issues. It is called “Siva Vishnu” temple of Livermore, but the divisions between Siva family and Vishnu family could not be more obvious. For context, let me preface by saying, I am an Iyer but a staunch devotee of Lord Venkateswara and all the avatars of Vishnu. Heck, I would know, my nick name is Lord Venkateswara’s and my full name has 3 out of 10 avatars of Vishnu. Our family deity or kula deivam is Lord Venkateswara. I have never considered Iyengars as being the ‘other’ sect. But in this temple, the division is clear. That is but one division, the other is much more disturbing. This one is that money matter(s). Money talks in the valley but also this Eastern valley temple. Once I detected this, my visits were less frequent.

But, I can’t stay away from temples, so my go to Venkateswara temple became the beautiful temple in Malibu CA. There, I was free to worship the lord without being pressured to make a cash or on the spot donation. This lasted a decade plus and for that I shall be most thankful. In this Kali Yuga if one thing is guaranteed, it is that people will show their true colors. This temple has now, since COVID transformed for the worse. It has become like an exhibition, a trade fair, a food court, a commercial club, all in one. The feeling of devotion and serenity is just lost. You are greeted not for being a devotee but to solicit that archana. “Do you want to do archana with or without fruit basket” - becomes the first question. Once you are at the altar, even before you can pay respect to the Lord, the priests come in looking for that ticket in your hand, color coded or marked and then ask for name/gothra and move to the next. Not only do you not have any chance of these names being uttered in front of the Lord, but you are part of a supply chain. Move on, I will modulate my volume per the ticket color, donor level, or otherwise. Time to move on indeed, may not be just from the queue.

With the rise of AI, who knows, maybe these priests are no longer required. The right robot will come out, speak your names and adjust its enthusiasm based on how much you drop into its hundial. Such are the times we live in. Gone is pure devotion or pure service. But I remain hopeful and will continue the search, for the smallest temple with the purest service and there I might find the vibrations that rung me once in Tirupathi or Kapali or Mumbai.

It is no surprise that in a capitalist country like the United States, everything is influenced by capitalism. In layman’s terms, everything is business, and the treatment you get is proportional to what you give. When a business serves customers, surely the top tier customers get much better service and treatment than the bottom feeders or worse, those who redeem free coupons or sneak in with friends. This is mostly acceptable by society for most situations. After all, haven’t we given a nod to this class system by chasing rewards, airline or hotel tiers, and A-listers in events or VIP experiences for those that pay more? All good.

Do you know where this is not acceptable, at least in my dictionary? Temples and places of prayer. I cannot speak for all religions, but can talk a bit about the one I practice, Hinduism. When you expect better from other countries, like the US, or expect anything at all, perhaps disappointment follows. In the US, I eagerly went to the first temples I could visit. I am a bit of a history and spiritual buff. I love temples and the vibrations I get from Gods that in Hinduism are worshipped by uttering their holy names in front of a stone or marble idol, going around the deities and prostrating at their holy feet. It gives an inner peace like none other and a hope that you can conquer the world with their blessings.

Forever, in a country like India, there have been special entrance tickets and VIP treatments for those that pay higher. But for decades this has been accepted. I grew up in this culture where my father would pay extra to get to see god for longer. At the very famous Tirupathi Tirumala temple where there are special tickets and utsavams of various denominations when you do get to the Lord, the power still rests in the hands of the linemen and priests who swat people after a certain length of time, seconds for most, minutes for others and hours for the elite. Seems like time with the lord can be bought after all. But you don’t expect any better from a corrupt administration and country where “money can buy”. It is not just Tirupathi or any temple in particular. In hundreds of temples I have been to, the story is the very same. Whether it is our own Kula Deivam, any temple in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Mumbai, Delhi, or wherever you go. When the currency notes flow out into view, the expressions change, prayers get louder, bells ring, and you are welcomed into the innermost sanctum. But, this is par for the course, you don’t expect anything better from a system that has had decades of training, a lack of education, income inequality, and a drop in true devotion for years. Thank you, Zuck, Manmohan Singh, and several others.

However, in the US, whether you visit the temples in Pittsburgh, Aurora IL, Livermore CA, Pearland TX, Malibu CA, Bridgewater NJ, or any other temple, you don’t expect to get the same vibes from the ancient stone idols of the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, Kabaleeswarar temple in Mylapore or Tanjore or Srirangam. I first noticed this in Livermore CA, where there are two major issues. It is called “Siva Vishnu” temple of Livermore, but the divisions between Siva family and Vishnu family could not be more obvious. For context, let me preface by saying, I am an Iyer but a staunch devotee of Lord Venkateswara and all the avatars of Vishnu. Heck, I would know, my nick name is Lord Venkateswara’s and my full name has 3 out of 10 avatars of Vishnu. Our family deity or kula deivam is Lord Venkateswara. I have never considered Iyengars as being the ‘other’ sect. But in this temple, the division is clear. That is but one division, the other is much more disturbing. This one is that money matter(s). Money talks in the valley but also this Eastern valley temple. Once I detected this, my visits were less frequent.

But, I can’t stay away from temples, so my go to Venkateswara temple became the beautiful temple in Malibu CA. There, I was free to worship the lord without being pressured to make a cash or on the spot donation. This lasted a decade plus and for that I shall be most thankful. In this Kali Yuga if one thing is guaranteed, it is that people will show their true colors. This temple has now, since COVID transformed for the worse. It has become like an exhibition, a trade fair, a food court, a commercial club, all in one. The feeling of devotion and serenity is just lost. You are greeted not for being a devotee but to solicit that archana. “Do you want to do archana with or without fruit basket” - becomes the first question. Once you are at the altar, even before you can pay respect to the Lord, the priests come in looking for that ticket in your hand, color coded or marked and then ask for name/gothra and move to the next. Not only do you not have any chance of these names being uttered in front of the Lord, but you are part of a supply chain. Move on, I will modulate my volume per the ticket color, donor level, or otherwise. Time to move on indeed, may not be just from the queue.

With the rise of AI, who knows, maybe these priests are no longer required. The right robot will come out, speak your names and adjust its enthusiasm based on how much you drop into its hundial. Such are the times we live in. Gone is pure devotion or pure service. But I remain hopeful and will continue the search, for the smallest temple with the purest service and there I might find the vibrations that rung me once in Tirupathi or Kapali or Mumbai.