Verse 2.4.219

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.4.219:

तेऽपि नूनं न तां पूजां त्यजेयुर् यदि सर्वथा ।
तदा तन्-निष्ठया चित्ते शोधिते गुण-दर्शिनाम् ॥ २१९ ॥

te'pi nūnaṃ na tāṃ pūjāṃ tyajeyur yadi sarvathā |
tadā tan-niṣṭhayā citte śodhite guṇa-darśinām || 219 ||

te–they; api–also; nūnam–indeed; na–not; tām–this; pūjām–worship; tyajeyuḥ–they may renounce; yadi–if; sarvathā–in all respects; tadā–then; tat–of them; niṣṭhayā–by their commitment; citte–consciousness; śodhite–purified; guṇa-darśinām–for those who perceive the qualities.

Even if such a neophyte does not give up Deity worship and instead continues to perform it, then by his commitment to his pūjā, his heart will gradually become purified.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Śrī Gopa-kumāra might say, “With whatever sentiment one worships Bhagavān, the result will never be something insignificant and mundane.”

There is evidence to support this:

वासुदेवे मनो यस्य जप-होम-अर्चनआदिषु
तस्यान्तरायो मैत्रेय देवेन्द्रत्वादिकं फलम्

vāsudeve mano yasya japa-homa-arcanaādiṣu
tasyāntarāyo maitreya devendratvādikaṃ phalam

O Maitreya, for those whose minds remain fixed on Vāsudeva while chanting (japa), or while performing sacrifice (homa) or Deity worship (arcana)–for such persons, achieving the position of Indra, the king of heaven, or other such results is an obstacle to their bhajana.

From this evidence, one can understand that just by Deity worship alone, one achieves a glorious result. Therefore from all angles, the insignificant results mentioned in the Purāṇas and other scriptures do not seem logical. To clarify this, Śrī Nārada speaks two verses, beginning here with te’pi.

He says, “Third-class devotees consider the Deity to be made of stone, wood, or some other material element, and so they worship Him with the feeling that the image is different from Bhagavān. Those who worship a newly made image, those whose false pride has pulled them away from the path of religion, those who scorn living beings, and those who disrespect the Vaiṣṇavas are all considered third-class. Still, if such third-class Deity worshipers do not give up their worship, but rather diligently continue their practice, then due to the influence of their dedication to Deity worship, or due to the mercy of some devotee who has noticed their dedication, their hearts become purified, their shortcomings are surmounted, and soon they develop pure devotion. However, those who worship out of pride and hypocrisy and give up their worship the moment they receive their reward, are counted among the high-class worshipers only after a long time.”