In plain words
They said that in whatever home the tears of women fall, in that home Fortune will not stay. So we must keep striving that mothers are never hurt in any way. It was through letting Sītā shed streams of tears that Rāvaṇa's whole clan was wiped out. It was because they insulted the holy Draupadī and she fell into grief that the whole clan of the Kauravas was wiped out. In just the same way, men must never try to hurt women in even the smallest matter. Taking up that path, it is most necessary to recognise the truth that in these women there dwells a power that is purely the form of the mother, and to act accordingly.
During this Śarannavarātri people perform worship of the Devī. They chant the Lalitā Sahasra. That is, all these Śarannavarātri are nothing but worship of the embodiment of power. We must not use women as mere playthings. They are forms to be worshipped. We think of them in an ordinary way and try to enjoy them in the common manner. This is very wrong. At what moment, in what place, at what time we may wound their hearts, we cannot tell. When we see women, we should first greet them with great humility and reverence and try to stay far away. Rather than that, to use them as some plaything and make them a laughing-stock in many ways: this is not right Dharma. First of all, among the four places, Mātṛdevo bhava, Pitṛdevo bhava, Ācāryadevo bhava, Atithidevo bhava, the place given to the mother-goddess was given to no one else. Even in ordinary speech people say: mother, father, God. They put God behind, but the mother they put in front. In the sacred culture of Bhārata, how far do we give honour to this sacred word, this foundation? But we regard women as weak, believe them powerless, and treat them as some maid who stays in the kitchen. Even the Bhagavad Gītā said that there are seven kinds of power in women. How should we honour such women, who are embodiments of power? How should we make them happy: this way we must try to understand well during this Śarannavarātri. These very days, the days of this Śarannavarātri, are the days that teach such supreme morality and supreme purity.
For all these eight days we worship this mother, and on the last day we enter into the Sarasvatī Pūjā. That is, we offer our worship as the Āyudha Pūjā. On that day we place our tools, some books and our important things in the pūjā and offer worship.