There are different kinds of demons, different classes of demons. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Duskrtinah. Duskrtina means? Krti means very intelligent, and? What is that word, if a man does something wonderful? Genius? Genius? Yes. So the genius, duskrtina, “wrong genius.” That means the materialistic persons, scientists, they’re genius. They have discovered very wonderful machine, wonderful things. They are genius, but duskrtina, not for the welfare of the human society but for condemning the human society. Just like the same example, as I have given several times, that the person who has discovered this nuclear weapon, atomic bomb, he’s certainly genius. He has got nice brain, that simply egglike bomb, if you throw, immediately the whole island of Hawaii will be finished.

So this invention of atomic bomb, certainly it requires good brain. But Bhagavad-gita says that this genius, or this brain, intelligence, has been wrongly used.

The materialistic class of men are undoubtedly very, very intelligent, but their intelligence is being used wrongly. Duskrtinah. Duskrtinah mudhah. Mudhah. Mudha means rascal, ass. By their discoveries, by their materialistic activities, atheistic activities, they’re simply disturbing, simply disturbing.

Srila Prabhupada; class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.11-13 — Hawaii, March 24, 1969