The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Avatarika

Avatarika

तद्यथैव तावत्— अथ यः कश्चिदब्रह्मवित्, अन्यामात्मनो व्यतिरिक्तां यां कांचिद्देवताम्, उपास्ते स्तुतिनमस्कारयागबल्युपहारप्रणिधानध्यानादिना उप आस्ते तस्या गुणभावमुपगम्य आस्ते-अन्योऽसावनात्मा मत्तः पृथक्, अन्योऽहमस्म्यधिकृतः, मया अस्मै ऋणिवत्प्रतिकर्तव्यम्- इ-

In plain words

Just as scripture explains: whoever does not know Brahman worships some deity other than the Self, viewing that deity as completely separate—engaging in praise, bowing, ritual sacrifice, offerings, prostrations, and meditation while adopting a position of utter subservience. He thinks: 'That deity is someone else, not the Self, standing apart from me. I am separate and bound by duty, and like a debtor I must repay this deity through my service.'

Close to the Sanskrit

Just as precisely: now, whoever is a non-knower of Brahman, worships some deity other than the self, distinguished as separate from the self—through praise, obeisance, sacrifice, oblation, offering, prostration, meditation, and the like, serving and remaining with the attitude of subservience to that deity: 'That one is other, an anātman, separate from me, I am another, bound by duty; by me repayment must be made to this deity like a debtor'