Their hopes are in vain, their actions in vain, their knowledge in vain; they are bereft of discernment, taking refuge in a deluding nature that is demonic and fiendish.
Explanation
Krishna continues speaking about those who, in their delusion, disregard him as merely human. Their hopes, efforts and learning all come to nothing because they are without clear judgement (vicetas) and have given themselves over to a deluding nature (prakṛti) that is demonic (rākṣasī) and fiendish (āsurī). Commentators often link these two natures to the gunas, the demonic to darkness (tamas) and the fiendish to passion (rajas), and read the verse as describing a tendency rather than a fixed class of people.