Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
कृत्वा तेन महद् युद्धं शक्रः सर्वामरैर्वृतः / जगाम निर्जितो विष्णुं देवं शरणमच्युतम्
kṛtvā tena mahad yuddhaṃ śakraḥ sarvāmarairvṛtaḥ / jagāma nirjito viṣṇuṃ devaṃ śaraṇamacyutam
అతనితో మహాయుద్ధం చేసి, సమస్త దేవతలతో చుట్టుముట్టబడిన శక్రుడు (ఇంద్రుడు) ఓడిపోయి, అచ్యుతుడైన దేవ విష్ణువును శరణు కోరెను।
Suta (narrator) recounting events to the sages
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: vira
By showing even Indra turning for shelter to Acyuta (the unfailing Lord), the verse implies a hierarchy where the highest refuge is the imperishable divine reality—beyond the limited, victory-and-defeat bound status of celestial beings.
The verse highlights śaraṇāgati (surrender) and humility—inner disciplines aligned with Purāṇic yoga ethics—where ego is relinquished and the mind turns toward the Lord as the stable support when worldly power proves insufficient.
While Viṣṇu is explicitly named as the refuge here, the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis frames such refuge as devotion to the one Supreme Lord manifesting through multiple divine forms, emphasizing unity of divine sovereignty rather than sectarian opposition.