Chapter IV · Śloka 12
काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः ।
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा ॥
क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा ॥
kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiṃ yajanta iha devatāḥ |
kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā ||
kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā ||
Those who desire success in action here worship the gods; for in the human world success born of action comes quickly.
Worship of finite deities for finite results is not condemned but placed in perspective as lower-order seeking. The speed of worldly results makes this path attractive, even if it keeps one within saṃsāra.