Ramesvara: There was a very important instruction in the very first letter that Srila Prabhupada ever wrote to me. He was so amazed at the first Christmas marathon. He could hardly believe the distribution of seventeen thousand books in three days from one temple. He wrote throughout this letter how important it is to distribute books and to save others. Then I came to the very last sentence of the letter where Prabhupada wrote, “But more important still is to save yourself.” It seemed like it was just put in there at the very end, yet the whole letter was just building up to saving others. I reflected on this for a long time. I still do. Gradually what I came to understand was that if you are spiritually pure, you could save others. Book distribution is not a material activity and if you’re not pure you will not be successful. Once I asked Prabhupada in a letter, “Would we be contaminated by so much association with the non-devotees?” Prabhupada wrote back, “No. If you are spiritually pure, if you are following the regulative principles, chanting your rounds, living in the association of devotees, attending the classes and mangal aratik, then you are not of this world. When you go out you will be protected.”
Reference: Remembrances by Sidhanta Das- Folio Vedabase
