Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 5, Verse 18

The knowers of the Self look with an equal eye on a Brâhmana endowed with learning and humility, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a pariah.

The wise see the same thing underneath everyone. They don't rank people by who deserves attention.

This was a radical claim for its time: learning is measured here by how equally someone sees others, not by status or category. Deep understanding is described as dissolving those distinctions, not reinforcing them.