Sanjay Rath

Beejakshara mantra
Sri Ganapati is the elephant headed son of Sri Shiva, belonging to the divine family that delivers the soul from darkness and sin, the specific function of Sri Ganapati is to teach and drive away ignorance (avidhya). He is represented by Ketu, the significator of emancipation from all kinds of bondage including rebirth.
The Beejakshara of Sri Ganapati is ‘gaM’
Bīja mantra: गं (gaṁ) which is also called the Gītā bīja (for Srimad Bhagavat Gītā) by those learned in mantra śāstra.

Contributed by Sarbani Rath

Ekākṣarādi Mantra

Tārkṣa

सनकाद्या मुनयो हनूमन्तं पप्रच्छुः।
आञ्जनेय महाबल तारकब्रह्मणो रामचन्द्रस्य
मन्त्रग्रामं नो ब्रूहीति।
sanakādyā munayo hanūmantaṁ papracchuḥ |
āñjaneya mahābala tārakabrahmaṇo rāmacandrasya
mantragrāmaṁ no brūhīti |

Translation: The saints headed by Sanaka again asked Hanūman: “Son of Āñjani of greatest strength, please speak the collection of Mantras for Tāraka-Brahmaṇa Rāmachandra.

हनूमान्होवाच।
वह्निस्थं शयनं विष्णोरर्धचन्द्रविभूषितम्‌।
एकाक्षरो मनुः प्रोक्तो मन्त्रराजः सुरद्रुमः॥ १॥
hanūmānhovāca |
vahnisthaṁ śayanaṁ viṣṇorardhacandravibhūṣitam |
ekākṣaro manuḥ prokto mantrarājaḥ suradrumaḥ || 1||

Translation: fire (ra), śayana viṣṇu (ā) ardhacandra (ṁ) or rāṁ (राँ) is the one syllable mantra said by the wise to be

This opens a much bigger question that I have had: how should we actually define uttara-ayana. It seems that it was originally the winter solstice, where the days begin to get longer, but since it has become associated with Makara Saṅkrānti it has been riding a sidereal year, of which it is not really a sidereal calculation but a tropical calculation. If we truly are observing the Sun returning or the Sura increasing, then there is no relation to the signs, just actual ayanas (solstices).
Namah Shivaya
Freedom T.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNcSVH0fqiM?list=PLD1BBE5BA43CF75DF]

Ṛk Veda Maṇḍala 2, Hymn 24, Śloka 1

गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम्।
ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस् पत आ नः षृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम्॥
gaṇānāṁ tvā gaṇapatiṁ havāmahe kaviṁ kavīnāmupamaśravastamam|
jyeṣṭharājaṁ brahmaṇāṁ brahmaṇas pata ā naḥ ṣṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam ||

Try saying each word group 12 times …8 groups

||
Then recite the full śloka-mantra 108 times. In this say ‘auṁ’ loudly (long) first and then in next breath say full śloka once.
You should be able to sing this in 10-20 days if you try hard.