Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 14: The Aśvamedha Sacrifice
Text 1.14.38
हयस्य यानि चाङ्गानि तानि सर्वाणि ब्राह्मणाः।
अग्नौ प्रास्यन्ति विधिवत्समन्त्राः षोडशर्त्विजः॥
hayasya yāni cāṅgāni tāni sarvāṇi brāhmaṇāḥ
agnau prāsyanti vidhivat samantrāḥ ṣoḍaśartvijaḥ
hayasya = horse’s; yāni ca aṅgāni tāni = parts of the body; sarvāṇi = all; brāhmaṇāḥ = brahminical; agnau = into the fire; prāsyanti = then offered; vidhivat = according to the scriptural regulations; samantrāḥ = with mantras; ṣoḍaśa = the sixteen; rtvijaḥ sacrificial priests.
The sixteen brahminical sacrificial priests then offered all parts of the horse’s body into the fire with mantras according to the scriptural regulations.
This is a reference to the aṅga-homa that takes place after the vapā-homa. Every part of the horse’s body is meant to be offered in sacrifice—there were no sacrificial remnants to be eaten. The result of such an offering is described in the Śruti: every part of the animal that is being offered causes the sponsor of the sacrifice to become free from sinful reactions [25].