According to Krishna, who is an Asura? || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2020)

Acharya Prashant (AP): In chapter 16 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Shri Krishna has done something quite special — special even by his own exalted standards. He has made it amply clear what the difference between the Asurī man, the man with demonic tendencies, and the divine man is. Even among these two, he has elaborated upon the demonic man, the Asurī man in greater detail. Just a few verses are devoted to the one having the right disposition, the divine disposition, but a lot more verses, more than ten, are devoted to the one having the Asurī disposition. ’Asurī’ you understand? Monstrous, demonic, Asura.

So, verses 19, 23, 24, and then many others, but from verse 7 to verse 18 all have been quoted. I’ll start from verse 19, then move to 23 and 24.

तानहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् ।

क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥ 16.19 ॥

tān ahaṁ dviṣhataḥ krūrān sansāreṣhu narādhamān

kṣhipāmy ajasram aśhubhān āsurīṣhv eva yoniṣhu

These malicious and cruel evil-doers, most degraded of men, I hurl perpetually into the wombs of Asuras only, in these worlds.

~ Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 19