Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 5: Renunciation in Action

Bhagavad Gita 5.18

vidyāvinayasaṃpanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini | śuni caiva śvapāke ca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ ||

The wise see the same in a brahmin rich in learning and humility, in a cow, in an elephant, in a dog, and in an outcaste.

Modern context

The wise see the same reality in everyone. The list runs on purpose across the whole range of the society of its time, from the most honoured person to the most despised, and across species from the revered cow to the dog. Equal vision does not pretend that these are alike on the outside. It sees that the worth and the inner reality of each are the same. This is one of the Gita's plainest statements against contempt, and it remains a demanding standard.