Jai Guru Dev !
Guruji once said - very few of us can chant a couple of lines of shoka or mantra !
So we start a new series - starting with small shlokas, their meanings & significance !
Shloka or Mantra Shloka is a verse, phrase, proverb or hymn of praise, usually composed in a specified meter. Especially a verse of two lines, each of sixteen syllables.
Sanskrit is the language of mantra, of spiritually empowered sounds. Its usage is to bring our minds back to the consciousness and power of mantra.
Mantra is defined in Sanskrit as 'Mananat trayate iti mantrah'
it means... The repetition (mananat) of which, you overcome/protected (trayate) [read overcome or protection from bondage/troubles/ cycles of birth and death] is (iti) called Mantra.
Mantra is not just concerned with sound but with meaning. According to the view of the Yoga of sound, there is only one meaning in life, which is the Divine or our own Self. Each thing ultimately means all things. Each object is a symbol for the universe itself. Words represent this universal meaning broken down, fragmented and compartmentalized.
OM 
The ancient syllable "OM" is the shortest of the Mantras and it is a word suggestive of God.Itis the premodial sound in the Universe.
The scriptures tell us that "OM" is the planets primordial vibration from which the entire universe has arisen. All other sounds are contained within it.
It is believed that "OM" is the mother of all languages. Repetition of "OM" enables us to maintain mental and emotional calmness, overcome obstacles and enable understanding.
whole Upanishad namely, Maandookyopanishad, devotes itself entirely to the explanation of the word Om. This Upanishad for this very reason, has been termed the quintessance of vedanta. Om is spoken of here as the primeval word which stands for the entire universe permeated by Brahman and therefore Brahman itself. The three sounds that go to make up Om constitute symbolically the entire universe of words.
Esoterically the 'a' stands for the first stage of wakefulness, where we experience, through our gross body and the senses. The 'u' stands for the state of dream sleep in which mental experiences are available. In the state of deep sleep, represented by the sound 'm' there is no consciousness of any experience; even the mind has gone to sleep. But still there is an awareness after the deep sleep is over that one has been sleeping. The Maandookyopanishad says that in the state of deep sleep the aatman which is always present, has been the witness to the sleep of the body and it is this which brings back the memory. It is the aatman which is also present beyond the three states of experience and this fourth state (turiiya-avasthaa) corresponds to the silence that ensues after one has steadily pronounced 'om'. It is the state of 'no maatraa' ( = amaatraa). In that state of silence Consciousness alone is present and there is nothing else, and therefore
nothing is to be cognized or be conscious of. So when we recite 'om' we are advised to meditate on this common substratum of all the three states of experience, and, during the silence that follows, merge in the Consciousness that alone persists as a substratum. That Consciousness is theaatman, that isbrahman.
Hence it is that OM is repeated at the beginning and conclusion of every mantra.
Panchakshari manta
om namah shivaya
Ashtakashari mantra
om namo narayana
Dwadasakshari mantra
om namo bhagavathe vasudevaya
Method for Chanting MANTRAs GURU VANDANAM ( Guruji chants this stotram)
Om Nama PranavArtaya Shuddah Gyanaike Murtaya
Nirmalaya Prashantaya Dakshina murtaye namaha
O, God of learning
You who are the meaning of the Pranavam (who creates, sustains & dissolves all life) ,
You who are the form of pure knowledge,
You who are without flaw and of eternal Bliss,
to you I surrender .
A mantra can be a word or a sentence which, when uttered in a particular manner and contemplated within, can make sorrows wither and assure mukti (salvation). The aim of mantra is to achieve dharma (religious righteousness and duty), artha (philosophical interpretative value or meaning and even the means), kama (procreative universal truth and sensual satisfaction) and moksha (salvation from birth and rebirth).
Mantras are not created, rather they are revealed to the sage during deep blissful meditation when the prana ascends sahasrara chakra. Thats why we touch the crown of the head while taking the rishi's name. So the rishis are called mantra drashtas (the seers of the mantra).
The chanting of the mantra is probably the most important of all. Its all about the sounds and the vibrations. So it comes with a meter or pitch. They come with a distinctive time length for each cycle. For example the Bhagavad Gita is written in Anushtup, the Rig Veda is written in Gayatri meter, etc.
There is a presiding deity for every mantra on whom the devotee meditates on by keeping it in the heart chakra. Thats why the heart region is touched while taking the name of the devata. For Gayatri mantra , its the sun. All this has to be done with so much love (heart chakra = love), respect and innocence. I think the way the entire agama is structured is just so beautiful. Even before this is done, the devotee does pranayama to get his mind centered and then with a lot of love and gratitude the mantra is taken. If there is no love and respect, the mantra doesnt bear any fruit.
A mantra can make the impossible possible. A simple sadkak can become a great saint with the power of mantra. A mantra can change an unfavourable situation into a favourable one.
Method for chanting MANTRAs Geetee seeghree sirah kampee thathaa likhita pathakah Anarthajnah alpakantascha shadaitaypathakaadh amaah
If one is to succeed with the mantras and get the fullest benefit from them, there is a prescribed method for chanting it . Learned people consider six methods of recitation, as NOT CORRECT and advise that they can be avoided.
1. Geetee is one who chants in a sings–song fashion. This is not correct. Though Samaveda is musically recited, it can be recited only in the approved musical way and not as one pleases. Further, since the sound and its variations have potency, recitation other than in the proper swara is not only not proper but harmful. It should be recited only in the prescribed mode.
2. Seeghree is one who chants in a quick tempo and ends the recitation quickly. This is also wrong. The Vedic words should be intoned by closely adhering to the time limits prescribed for uttering each word-sound if full benefits are to result.
3. Sirahkampee is one who shakes and nods his head needlessly while chanting. One should sit straight in concentration and allow the pulse vibrations to occur naturally by themselves. Nodding of the head like a musician disturbs the vibrations.
4. Likhitapaathakah is one who reads from the written script. This is not right. As said earlier, it should be learnt by the ear from oral chanting by a teacher commited to memory in the proper manner.
5. Anarthajnah means one who does not understand the meaning. It is necessary to know the meaning of the words of the mantras in order to have full beneficial effect.
6. Alpakantha is one who recites in a feeble voice. In order that the sound vibrations have good effect, the sounds should e properly audible and not mumbled.
Source:Srinivas P
