In plain words
Kuṅkuma Pūjā
In this world, when men behaved with selfishness and self-interest, devoid of Prema, this Ātma-principle, the embodiment of Śakti, took on rajoguṇa and destroyed the bad qualities. This is the inner meaning of the festival of “Dasarā”. In rooting out the bad qualities in this way, the Devī took on a form of great fury. To cool the Devī's agitation, all the women, who are Her descendants, offered worship with red kuṅkuma. Its inner meaning is this: the Mother sees this kuṅkuma, the colour of blood, thinks that all the wicked have been crushed, and grows calm, it is said. So the meaning of this is that this kuṅkuma pūjā is performed to cool the Devī's fury.
Even God's Punishments Are Full of Prema
Rākṣasas are not beings with some special form. Our own bad qualities and bad feelings are the “rākṣasas”. We think that Rāvaṇāsura, the leader of these rākṣasas, had ten heads. Rāvaṇa was not born with ten heads. What are these ten heads? Kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya, Manas, Buddhi, citta and Ahaṅkāra: the one who has these ten qualities is Rāvaṇāsura. In him each of these qualities went on taking shape as a separate head. So each one for himself: “Am I Rāma? Or am I Rāvaṇāsura?” That is the enquiry he must make. Rāmacandra went on cutting off each of Rāvaṇa's heads (that is, each bad quality). The one who slays these bad qualities is God Himself as well. But at the time of destroying bad qualities He takes on the form of rajoguṇa. This rajoguṇa too is joined with the sāttvic. Rāma had Prema and compassion for Rāvaṇa, and that is precisely why He rooted out his bad qualities. Without Prema itself, bad qualities cannot be driven away. So even within this rajoguṇa the sāttvic is present.
God carries out each action only in keeping with place, time and circumstance. You can press butter with a finger, but you have to beat iron with a hammer alone. God approaches sāttvic hearts with the sāttvic alone; to hearts bound up with rajoguṇa He gives only punishments bound up with rajoguṇa. We say God's is a fierce form, God's is a gracious form, and we utter many kinds of names; but none of these is right. God has only one right name. That is “Prema-svarūpa”.
So we must not look at this world with a material eye. We must look with the eye of Prema alone. Only then will the principle of Prema arise in us. Every holy day of the people of Bhārata came into being only to bring the sacred principle of Prema to the people; the Paramātma comes as an Avatāra to proclaim this principle of Prema to the people. He teaches that we must have Prema for all beings. He Himself loves, and tells people to love others too. So we must experience human life in Ānanda, in Prema alone.