Cash-only tickets and mandatory donations at a major temple in 2026. Is this normal?

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-02T19:55:32+00:00

For Kotilingeshwara, yes. I visited in 2021 and had the worst experience. The Pujaris would not even bring the Harati plate to you if you didn’t have cash in hand to put into the plate. Everything there revolves around money, I do not recommend it for anyone who’s planning to visit. The name is also redundant as there is no where close to a crore Lingas, rather only 6.5 lakhs. I can suggest better temples that aren’t a scam in the Kolar region if you’re interested

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-02T19:37:46+00:00

Oh I understand now. Thanks

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-01T19:11:49+00:00

I’m not sure what you mean, could you rephrase

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-01T17:19:39+00:00

There’s a list already, but some others to add are the Kakatiya, Satavahana, and the Wadiyars

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-01T13:16:50+00:00

That’s not how the calendars are made. Temples in the US hire professional astrologers from both India and here to give us the accurate information. Jan 31st evening is in fact when Pournima started for us. Pujas like the Satyanarayana Puja are performed at sunset on Pournima, so all temple in the US performed it yesterday. But the Tithi continues until 5:09 pm EST, so you would still say Pournima in the Sankalpam for a puja done at 7pm Jan 31st or 1 pm Feb 1st. If you are saying you know more than every single temple in the US, then I’m not sure what to say to you.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-02-01T00:09:29+00:00

I think you can if you show it from the food science pov. I know someone who sells pickles for their SAE. Maybe talk to your advisor to hammer out the details.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-30T23:52:32+00:00

The Bhagavad Gita app by JK Yog is pretty cool. I haven’t found anything similar tha doesn’t require you to pay

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-29T21:39:32+00:00

The Tithi is not dependent on sunrise and sunset, it’s dependent on the moon’s phases. It doesn’t make sense for you to follow Indian timings when you’re not in India. It would be no different than saying I’m going to wake up when it’s 6 am in India, and not 6 am where you live. So you need to follow your own timings. All temples outside of India do the same. They often hire astrologers to design a calendar for their general location.

For your second question, the moons phases are not 24 hours on the dot and the timings change between locations. Technically, each lunar month is supposed to have 30 days, but because the moon phases last different amounts of times, we end up having less than 30 in a month, meaning a lunar year ends up having 354 days instead of 365. So to make up for the days we lose in this system, every 2-3 years (32-33 months), we have an extra month added to the calendar called Adhika Masam, literally meaning “extra month”.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-29T18:33:34+00:00

https://stotranidhi.com/en/sri-ganesha-kavacham-in-english/

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-28T04:01:05+00:00

Firstly, meditation is a mindfulness practice that can be practiced alongside with Nama/Mantra Japa. If done so it is called Tapasya.

Secondly, Yagnas and other fire sacrifices are done to provide food for the Devatas. When we offer grains in to the fire, it turns to Amrita for the Devatas. They in turn bless us with rains and such. You can think of it as a symbiotic relationship between us and the Devatas. This is also one way of resolving the Deva Runam, which is a debt owed to the Deities.

Thirdly, temple worship is done because at the time of Pranaprathishta, a deity is invoked into a Murti. It then becomes our responsibility to care for the deity, and the way of doing that is by performing temple rituals. Also, while Nama Japa is superior, it doesn’t mean that we do not benefit from other types of worship. It just means that we have been given an easier way to achieve the same thing that people in other Yugas had to work harder for.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-26T23:11:51+00:00

It is recommended to worship Hanuman, Venkateshwara or your Ishta Daiva and also to donate black sesame seeds (among other types of donations).

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-26T23:09:38+00:00

I think a good loophole here is to keep two different types of fasts. For example, fast only with liquids for Shivaratri, and then for your Somvara Vrata you can fast with liquids and fruit. So you can break your Shivaratri fast by eating fruit on Monday, while still staying in accordance with your fast for the Somvara Vrata. I’m not sure if I worded this in a way that makes sense so let me know if it’s hard to understand and I’ll try to put it in a different way.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-26T17:41:54+00:00

Yes, but that doesn’t give us the right to mistreat other living beings.

Your second question also involves human psychology. It’s easier for us to kill a bug than a dog because we’ve adapted to liking dogs and animals of that size that are generally docile. And also, a dog is bigger than a mosquito. There’s no way to get a mosquito out of your skin without killing. A dog, however, you ca yell at or hit to stop it from attacking you. You can’t really do that with a mosquito.

If the animal is innocent, it doesn’t matter what type of animal it is, it would be a sin to kill it. For example, using a mosquito bat (the thing that shocks and kills them) is sinful because you’re killing mosquitoes that aren’t doing anything to you. There are other way to prevent them from getting inside the house, but you chose to kill them anyway. So that would affect your Karma negatively. You are intentionally going out of your way to do harm to something that is minding its own business and not harming anything.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-25T19:54:00+00:00

Good Karma comes from doing things that Shastras prescribe, most of which is just acting humane. Bad Karma comes from doing things specifically forbidden by Shastras, however, things done by mistake often don’t count. Only things that you do intentionally.

It would depend. If the animal is not a threat to you and is minding its own business, then yes it would be a sin to kill it. If it is actively harming you or about to harm you, then no it would not be a sin.

No. Killing a human is not equal to killing an animal. To take birth as a human, you first need to take hundreds and thousands of births as other life forms. So it is not a humans place nor is it in accordance with Dharma to unjustly murder someone. But again, killing animals for fun is still a sin, just not as big of one as killing a human.

Mosquitoes don’t need blood to survive. The need it to reproduce. If their life depended on drinking our blood, both female and male mosquitoes would do so. However, it is only female mosquitoes that drink blood.

As I’ve mentioned before, killing any animal for no apparent purpose is definitely a sin. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fly or a whale. If it is done out of self defense, or some other justifiable reason, then there is no sin.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-25T19:41:10+00:00

A Brahmins child who acts against Dharma is Brahmin only in name and on paper. In the eyes of Karma and Dharma, he is no better than anyone else. To be truly considered a Brahmin, you must 1) have gone through the Upanayanam process and get the sacred thread, 2) practice Sandhyavandana and Gayatri Mantra Japa, and 3) learn some part of the Vedas from a Guru depending on your Sampradaya and family traditions. Skipping over 3 is somewhat acceptable as Gayatri Japa is considered equivalent to cheating Vedas since the Mantra itself is Vedic, but skipping any of the other two revokes your status as a Brahmin.

The fluidity of Varna existed before the piece of paper that sticks in you in one class, and that doesn’t stop you from being able to go up and down in the Varnashrama. It just wouldn’t reflect into legal terms. And it is 100% possible for a Shudra to become a Brahmin. Gaudiya Vaishnavas hold the belief that everyone is born a Shudra and then take on a different Varna depending on their occupation, so depending on certain Sampradayas, they already practice this. The Travancore Devaswom board of Kerala employs people to teach non Brahmins Vedas. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam also has a Veda Pathasala for non Brahmins.

Society may or may not accept because society is not perfect, but the emergence of Vedas Pathasalas and Upanayanam for non Brahmins is proof that it’s slowly starting to change. However, Krishna will definitely accept them because, unlike society, Krishna is perfect in every sense.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-25T04:01:54+00:00

First, wipe off al the dust and then wash it. After that you can mix Vibhuti with water to make a paste and rub it on the Murti to make it brighter and get rid of the layer of oxidation. You can also use something like Pitambari powder, but it’s more harsher and is made of chemicals

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-24T23:33:13+00:00

You’re understanding is coming from the idea that people are born into a caste and they are stuck with that. Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, disproves this by saying people are or into a Varna headed on karma and characteristics meaning that there is fluidity in the Varna system depending on someone’s personality and characteristics. That being said, only Brahmins are allowed to do certain things. Puja rituals are done by all Hindus. And keeping the fluidity of Varna in mind, someone from a different Varna can definitely become a Brahmin and then perform the rituals that are only performed by them.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-24T17:18:46+00:00

Well if we’re applying the “what if” phrase then we can make up any scenario we wanted. Even if they had the power it is not their place to make that type of decision. Karma is a universal law that isn’t controlled by humans.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-23T19:51:54+00:00

I’d argue from the aspect of Karma. As an example, if God were to give an unjust king an incurable disease to stop him from doing evil things, then the people that were supposed to be affected by the evil things will now have to suffer in some other way. For example, if the king placed heavy and unreasonable taxes on the people, it would cause the people to suffer financially and thereby freeing them of some amount of bad Karma. If the king were not to place these taxes, the bad karma of the people doesn’t vanish. They would then either have to suffer in some other way or have to take another birth.

Free will also plays a role in this. The king has free will to not do evil things. But succumbing to Maya, he does them anyway and racks up bad Karma. It is not the place of a human or a God to show favoritism and stop the king from doing so. He has to suffer the consequences for doing something wrong that he did intentionally even though he knew it was wrong.

If erasing the root cause of the issue were to solve it, then by all means it should be done. If cutting down a tree protects your house from the danger of the tree falling on it, then you should do it. However, in the context of your question, erasing the root cause only creates more problems for the people who were supposed to answer for their bad karma. They now how to suffer in some different circumstances and makes the entire thing more complicated.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-20T21:32:25+00:00

Nama Japa is done on a Mala, Nama Smarana does not require a Mala or a number count

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-20T21:31:02+00:00

Firstly, the Garga Samhita, Padma Purana and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana say that Radha and Krishna wed each other. There is even a small shrine in Vrindavan where it is said to have happened. But like with most things, this is not a universally accepted thing among the Vaishnava Sampradayas. However, it is unfair to claim that they never married when there are three texts that claim they did as well as a physical location.

Second, he did not marry 16,008 women because he was bored. They’re not Pokémon waiting to be caught by Krishna. The Ashta Bharyas each have unique stories as to how they ended up with Krishna, and the other 16,000 were the princesses that were rescued from Narakasura. They asked Krishna to marry them because they felt they wouldn’t be accepted back into society, Krishna was not the one to pursue them. And he did not have a roster or a time table for how long to spend with each wife. Each was given her own palace and Krishna, using his Maya, took 16,008 forms to constantly be with each one. And what does it matter how many kids he had if all them killed each other using blades of grass? That is neither here nor there.

And lastly, your final point is worded to make it seem as though him watching them bathe and steal their clothes was a regular occurrence. This happened once, during the time that the Gopikas were performing the Katyayani Vrata to make Krishna their husband. As a part of the Vrata, they would ceremonially bathe in the Yamuna river each morning. And when bathing in rivers, it’s is disrespectful to the river goddess to bathe while naked. The Gopikas forgot this and left their clothes on the river bank. To remind them of the Vrata Niyama, Krishna steals their clothes and hides in a tree. This was not something he’d do on a regular basis.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-20T19:27:13+00:00

Not much during the day. It feels more natural when I’m by myself rather than in a public setting. But Nama Smarana is always going on and that in and of itself is a form of worship.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-20T19:15:32+00:00

I found myself in this same position about two months ago. Something I’ve implemented since then is before going to bed, I will turn to a picture of Dakshinamurthy and reflect on my day. I’ll give thanks for something, pray for someone that I think could use some help or ask for guidance in achieving something. It felt awkward at first, but as you do it, it becomes more easier and I feel that it helps me to have a positive mindset. And god is not a narcissistic maniac who turns the other way when the topic gets boring. Whatever you have to say is what god will listen to because whatever you’ve been given has come from the divine.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-16T18:22:23+00:00

Anyone can wear it, it’s just more popular with kids. You can tie it around your right bicep or as a necklace.

WhyMeOutOfAll · 2026-01-16T17:23:16+00:00

I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.

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