The Barrier of Caste

From the time of the Upanishads down to the present day, nearly all our great teachers have wanted to break through the barrier of caste, i.e. caste in its degenerate state, not the original system. What little good you see in the present caste clings to it from the original caste, which was the most glorious social institution. Buddha tried to reestablish caste in its original form.

Interview. London, 1896. Complete Works, 5: 198.