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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.13.17
Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 13: Aśvamedha yajña: The horse’s return and completion of the rites. The returning horse is sacrificed with prescribed posts, a Garuḍa-shaped altar and continual hospitality, Daśaratha rewards the priests and requests the rite for sons
In the sequence: during pauses in the ritual, eloquent scholars debate, seeking to outdo one another → the officiants continue each day's rites, all versed in the six Vedāṅgas, their vows, and learned disputation. The sacrificial posts are prepared from prescribed woods, including six of bilva and six of khadira, further palāśa posts, and posts of śleṣmātaka and devadāru
1.13.17
prāpte yūpocchraye tasmin ṣaḍ bailvāḥ khādirās tathā
tāvanto bilvasahitāḥ parṇinaś ca tathāpare
When the time came for raising the sacrificial posts, there were six of bilva wood and likewise (six) of khadira; as many again together with bilva, and others of palāśa wood as well,
Words: prāpte — having come (loc.); yūpocchraye — at the raising of the sacrificial post; tasmin — that; ṣaḍ — six; bailvāḥ — (posts) of bilva wood; khādirās — of khadira wood; tathā — likewise; tāvanto — as many; bilvasahitāḥ — together with bilva; parṇinaś — of palāśa (parṇin) wood; ca — and; tathāpare — and others likewise
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.