यो मां सर्वेषु भूतेषु सन्तमात्मानमीश्वरम् ।
हित्वार्चां भजते मौढ्याद्भस्मन्येव जुहोति स: ॥
yo māṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu santam ātmānam īśvaram |
hitvārcāṁ bhajate mauḍhyād bhasmany eva juhoti saḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.22; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
[Kapiladeva:] “One who disregards me, the Ātmā and Īśvara present in all beings, and worships a deity [i.e., a deity form of myself] out of ignorance [i.e., not recognizing my presence in the deity or in all beings] simply makes oblations into ashes [i.e., futilely misperforms one’s worship, just like someone who makes oblations into ashes rather than into a sacred fire].”