Strict vegetarianism

This little vignette revolves around an unnamed sramana (श्रमण) – an ascetic following a non-Vedic way of life such as Jainism or Buddhism (in fact, these non-Brahminical belief systems are collectively called sramanic traditions). These sramanas would usually live in monasteries (the word sramana is cognate with ashram), and would swear to lead a life of celibacy and mendicancy, with dietary restrictions peculiar to their faith. Below, you will see how one such ascetic adheres to his vow of abstinence from meat even in the face of extreme temptation.

Devanagari text:

श्रमणः श्रावकवध्वाः सुरतविधौ दशति नाधरं दत्तम्|
मदिराक्षि मांसभक्षणमस्मत्समये निषिद्धमिति||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

zramaNaH zrAvakavadhvAH suratavidhau dazati nAdharaM dattam|
madirAksi mAMsabhakSaNamasmatsamaye niSiddhamiti||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: While the ascetic was engaging in intercourse with a disciple's wife, she offered him her lips so that he might bite them. But he refused, saying, "O lady with intoxicating eyes! In our order, the consumption of flesh is prohibited."

Source: This verse in the above form can be found in the 19th/20th century Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara (सुभाषितरत्नभाण्डागार) which I referenced in this post. A slightly different version exists in Suktimuktaavali (सूक्तिमुक्तावली), the same 13th century anthology in which I found this couplet. In place of श्रावकवध्वाः सुरतविधौ (zrAvakavadhvAH suratavidhau), this older version reads श्रावकवृद्धासुरतविधौ (zrAvakavRddhAsuratavidhau) "during intercourse with the aged female disciple", but I think this is a copying or printing error. Moreover, निषिद्धम् (niSiddham), "prohibited", is replaced by its synonym विरुद्धम् (viruddham).