Keeping a One-Two-Three Kirtana Beat

People came to the storefront seeking consciousness expansion, which they had been getting on LSD, and Srila Prabhupada promised that they would find it without drugs, by chanting.  Prabhupada taught the rhythm, one-two-three, one-two-three.  When he gave some of the hippies the karatalas, they wanted to play their own beats.  But Prabhupada stopped them and said, “No!  Keep this beat: one-two-three.”  Although we did not accept him in the beginning as our spiritual master, he insisted that we keep this beat, and so we agreed.  He asserted his authority on the beat of the mantras; if you wanted to stay in the storefront and participate, you had to do it his way or confront him.  But aside from the one-two-three beat, Prabhupada was very lenient and allowed all kinds of musical instruments to be played.  Even piano innards were brought inside and strummed.

The people in the storefront would leave after the kirtana.  Maybe only half would stay for the lecture.  On a good night there might be many people, and after the kirtana half would leave.