The 32-year-old Symonds was subjected to monkey noises by spectators when he was fielding in Thursday's game in Baroda.
"There were some things that have happened that I really drew on out there," Symonds told a news conference after his side's 18-run win in the sixth one-dayer.
"I had plenty of incentive to apply myself," he said after scoring 107 not out from 88 balls.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), which strengthened its anti-racism code last year, has written to Indian officials asking them to comment on events in Baroda.
Man of the match Symonds lashed nine fours and four sixes for his sixth one-day century and was involved in two half-century partnerships to help his team recover to 317-8 after a middle-order collapse.
The opening game was washed out and the final match will be played in Mumbai on Wednesday.
"His innings was the defining part," Australia captain Ricky Ponting said of Symonds's knock.
"Today's been a very good victory, it shouldn't be underestimated. We've had to work extremely hard, coming off an extended break and not performing as well as we would have liked in the Twenty20 World Cup."
