Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 14: The Aśvamedha Sacrifice
Text 1.14.29
स चित्यो राजसिंहस्य सञ्चितः कुशलैर्द्विजैः।
गरुडो रुक्मपक्षो वै त्रिगुणोऽष्टादशात्मकः॥
sa cityo rāja-siṁhasya sañcitaḥ kuśalair dvijaiḥ
garuḍo rukma-pakṣo vai tri-guṇo ’ṣṭādaśātmakaḥ
saḥ = that; cityaḥ = sacrificial altar; rāja-siṁhasya = of the lion of kings; sañcitaḥ = was arranged in the shape of; kuśalaiḥ = by expert; dvijaiḥ = brāhmaṇas; garuḍaḥ = Garuḍa; rukma-pakṣaḥ vai = a golden winged; tri-guṇaḥ = in three arrays; aṣṭādaśa-ātmakaḥ = with eighteen fire places.
That sacrificial altar of the lion of kings was arranged by expert brāhmaṇas in the shape of a golden winged Garuḍa, in three arrays with eighteen fire places.
This describes the shape of the fire altars. “Lion of kings” indicates that Daśaratha had performed several sacrifices. The expert brāhmaṇas were the sacrificial priests and they could construct the fire altars.
What was the shape of the entire arrangement? A Garuḍa looking down with its wings and tail spread out. The Śruti injunction that one should arrange the fire altars in the shape of a hawk actually refers to the shape of a Garuḍa for it is identified in the Vedic mantras as such [12]. It was golden winged, that is, fragments of gold were offered in the fire [13]. Normally, it would have six arrays, but in an Aśvamedha sacrifice it has to be thrice that [14]. This arrangement is in line with the Vājasaneya branch of Vedic sacrificial rules.