मुक्ती कुर्वंति तीर्थानि ये च दुष्टावरोधतः । ममावरोधे ते मान्या औरसास्तनया इव
muktī kurvaṃti tīrthāni ye ca duṣṭāvarodhataḥ | mamāvarodhe te mānyā aurasāstanayā iva
Mereka yang mengekang orang jahat sehingga tīrtha dapat menganugerahkan mokṣa—mereka, sebagai para pengiring-Ku, dimuliakan oleh-Ku laksana anak kandung-Ku sendiri.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrthas (collective)
Type: ghat
Listener: Pilgrims/guardians/householders
Scene: Guardians or righteous officials prevent wrongdoers from disturbing pilgrims at a Kāśī ghāṭ; the tīrtha shines unobstructed, and a divine presence honors the protectors like sons.
Guarding sacred spaces and preventing harm to pilgrims is itself a liberating service, honored as intimate devotion.
The verse speaks generally of tīrthas; within Kāśī Khaṇḍa it supports the theme of protecting holy geography like Kāśī and its pilgrimage culture.
No formal rite; it prescribes dharma-rakṣaṇa—restraining wrongdoers to preserve tīrtha sanctity.