अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम् । देवान्देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥
antavattu phalaṃ teṣāṃ tadbhavatyalpamedhāsam | devādevayadevayajo yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ||
Translation
But the fruit of those with small intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to the gods; My devotees come to Me.
Interpretation
The crucial distinction: worship of limited divinities brings limited, finite (antavat — having an end) results. These results are real but temporary. The worshipper of limited powers gains limited powers. But those who worship the infinite Divine directly (madbhakta — My devotees) come to the infinite Divine itself. This is not a statement of exclusivism but of the natural principle: the result of any action corresponds to the nature of the action. Small target, small result. Infinite target, infinite result.