काङ्क्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः ।क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा ॥
kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṃ siddhiṃ yajanta iha devatāḥ |kṣipraṃ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karmajā ||
- काङ्क्षन्तः · kāṅkṣantaḥ
- desiring, longing for
- कर्मणाम् · karmaṇām
- of actions
- सिद्धिम् · siddhim
- success, fulfilment
- यजन्ते · yajante
- they worship, sacrifice to
- इह · iha
- here
- देवताः · devatāḥ
- the deities
- क्षिप्रम् · kṣipram
- quickly
- हि · hi
- indeed
- मानुषे · mānuṣe
- in the human
- लोके · loke
- world
- कर्मजा · karmajā
- born of action, ritual
“Desiring the success of their works, people here worship the deities — for in the human world, success born of ritual action comes quickly.”
— Original plain-language translation
Why do most settle for lesser gods? Because ritual payoffs arrive fast. Krishna diagnoses spiritual impatience: quick fruits attract, while the slower supreme fruit is overlooked. The verse explains verse 11's variety of approaches.
— Reader's notes (original)