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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.13.23

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: the priests assign the sacrificial creatures to their respective devatās, including birds, serpents, aquatic creatures, and the horse → three hundred animals are bound to the posts along with Daśaratha's excellent horse. Kausalyā circles the horse and cuts it with three knives, with great joy

1.13.23

garuḍo rukmapakṣo vai triguṇo 'ṣṭādaśātmakaḥ
niyuktās tatra paśavas tat tad uddiśya daivatam

(The altar was in the form of) Garuḍa with golden wings, three times (the usual size), consisting of eighteen (units); and there the sacrificial animals were assigned, each dedicated to its respective deity.

Words: garuḍo — (in the shape of) Garuḍa; rukmapakṣo — with golden wings; vai — indeed; triguṇo — three times (the size); 'ṣṭādaśātmakaḥ — consisting of eighteen; niyuktās — assigned, appointed; tatra — there; paśavas — the sacrificial animals; tat tad — each respective; uddiśya — aiming at, dedicating to; daivatam — deity

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.