|| 4.12 ||

कांक्षन्तः कर्मणां सिद्धिं यजन्त इह देवताः। क्षिप्रं हि मानुषे लोके सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा।।

kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karma-jā

kāṅkṣantaḥ (desiring) karmaṇām (of fruitive activities) siddhim (perfection) yajante (they worship by sacrifices) iha (in this world) devatāḥ (the demigods) kṣipram (quickly) hi (certainly) mānuṣe (in human society) loke (in this world) siddhiḥ (success) bhavati (comes) karma-jā (born of work)

Men in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work in this world.

Kṛṣṇa addresses the psychology of those who worship demigods or higher cosmic administrators. He says that people in this world desire quick results from their efforts, and therefore they turn to these powerful beings with sacrifices. They are looking for immediate material success. In human society, success born of material work comes ‘kṣipram’, or very quickly. If you want money, rain, or a cure for a disease, there is a specific ritual or demigod to provide it. This is attractive to those who have no patience for long-term spiritual growth. It is a transactional form of religion. While Kṛṣṇa facilitates this through the demigods, He points out that these results are temporary and limited to the ‘mānuṣe loke’, the human world. Most people prefer the quick, cheap fix over the eternal soul-realization. Kṛṣṇa is subtly urging Arjuna to aim higher, beyond the fleeting successes of the material plane.