Hiranyakasipu was so powerful that even the demigods were afraid of him. And Krsna took away everything in a second by the nails. Tava nakha kara-kamala vare nakham adbhuta-srngam. Wonderful nails. He wanted to be secure: “I’ll not die this way. I’ll not die that way.” But he forgot to say that “I’ll not die by the nails.” He did not think that one can be killed by the nails. So all his formula that he would not be killed by this way, this way, this way… But he forgot this. [laughs]

Even Mother Yasoda. She was trying to bind Krsna, and at the end, at the time of knotting, there was two fingers scarcity. So our intelligence is like that. However I may be intelligent, however I may to cheat Krsna, at least, little difference. He never thought, “I’ll be killed by the nails, not by any atomic bomb.” He thought simply atom bomb can kill. He never thought that Krsna can kill even by nails. Angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti pasyanti panti kalayanti ciram jaganti [Bs 5.32]. He can do everything. But he wanted to be cheap God, to surpass… But it could not be done. This is the asura. Asuram bhavam asritah. And the asuras… Mayayapahrta-jnanah [Bg 7.15].

They may think themselves as very advanced in knowledge, but they are rascal number one because their so-called knowledge, the effect of knowledge, is taken away by maya. They are called Mayavadis. They are very much proud of their knowledge. But Krsna says, “These rascals, these atheist class demons, their actual knowledge is taken away.” Just like Hiranyakasipu devised means that “Indirectly I shall be immortal. I shall not die in daytime. I shall not die in night. I shall not die in water. I shall not die in land. I shall not die in the sky. No animal can kill me. No demigod can kill me. No weapon can kill me.” So on, so many… Brahma says, “All right.” But he never agreed to give him immortality. But he wanted to cheat Brahma, that “Indirectly, by the negative way, I have taken everything. So I am immortal.” This is called mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg 7.15]. He does not know that Krsna’s intelligence is always, at least, one inch greater than him, anyone.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.20 – November 20, 1974, Bombay