The frequent confrontations between the celestial beings and the asuras are symbolic of the clash between good and evil tendencies in each jivatma. Every time the asuras overpower the gods, it is the Lord who comes to the aid of Indra or Brahma and subdues the asuras. So too, every jivatma can hope to transcend the deep seated evil nature within oneself and rise above the effects of the gunas only with God’s grace and help.
In a discourse, Damal Sri Ramakrishnan and Srimati Perundevi drew attention to Narayana Bhattatiri’s rendering of the episode of the Kurma avatar in the Narayaneeyam, wherein this truth is asserted emphatically. This avatar is taken by the Lord when Indra is divested of all his wealth and possessions owing to Durvasa’s curse. He seeks the Lord’s help to regain his lost glory. The Lord points out to Indra that the exigency at the moment is to obtain nectar by churning the milky ocean. The nectar can strengthen the celestial beings by conferring immortality. But this requires the combined effort of both the gods and the asuras, and so He suggests that a pact should be made with the asuras; the Mandara Mountain should be used as the churning rod and Vasuki, the serpent king, should serve as the rope. The Lord joins them in the churning and when the mountain becomes unsteady and starts to sink in the ocean, the Lord assumes the form of a huge tortoise and supports it on His back.
In the final stanzas of the Narayaneeyam, when Bhattatiri meditates on the auspicious feet of the Lord, he says that yogis seek His feet and fix their mind on them because they are the final resort of liberated souls. Like the huge Kurma form these feet alone can prevent the restless and unsteady human mind from sinking in the ocean of ignorance and ego.