This is fair; the acquisition of religious scholarship is indeed useless for those whose livelihood depends on agriculture, trade, etc. However, see also this example of a सच्छूद्र-शैव-महाविद्वान् belonging to the कार्कात्त-वेळाळर् जाति- https://twitter.com/ghorangirasa/status/1136968868486770693?s=21 https://twitter.com/rjrasva/status/1281956844764880901

This तमिऴ् scholar from Lanka first got initiation in TN across the “pond” & then went to Bengal for higher studies. He impressed his ब्राह्मण teacher with his sharpness & excellent aptitude for knowledge. He wrote a rich & insightful commentary in संस्कृत that I use even today. https://twitter.com/ghorangirasa/status/1136968868486770693

Yes, there are only a few examples. But they were as brilliant & enjoyed high esteem & respect from everyone. If you question why most of that strata did not become scholars, well, most of them simply had no interest in it. Even most ब्राह्मण-s didn’t become scholars.

There is nothing wrong with that. Scholars of religious & philosophical texts were not supposed to exist in such large numbers anyway. No functional society would have envisioned such an unhealthy & disproportionate arrangement.

At the same time, the system (Pan-Indian as you can see) allowed bright scholars of शास्त्र from varied backgrounds to thrive.