the first few slokas our mothers taught us when we were just babies.. ഞങ്ങളുടെ അമ്മമാര്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ ശീലിപ്പിച്ചത്

the first few slokas our mothers taught us when we were just babies..

ഞങ്ങളുടെ അമ്മമാര്‍ ഞങ്ങളെ ശീലിപ്പിച്ചത്

I..the first set I mention is not a slokam..

it is the names of the gods.

NamaH Sivaya,

Naraayanaaya,

Achyutaaya,

Anandaaya,

Govindaaya,

Gopalaaya,

Sreekhrishnaaya,

Sree Ramaaya ,

Vishnave HariH..

2. Krishnaya vaasudevaaya Devakii nandanaaya cha Nandagopa Kumaaraaya, Govindaaya Namo NamaH.

3. Shivam Shivakaram Shantam, shivaatmaanam Shivottamam Sivamaagae Pranethaaram, Pranathosmi Sadaasivam...

4. Gajaananam Bhoota Ganaadhi Sevitham Kapithajamboo Phalasaara Bakshitam Umasutam Shoka Vinaasa Kaaranam Namaami Vigneswara Paadapankajam

5. Agajaanana Padmaarkam Gajaananamharnisam Anekadham tam bhaktaanam Eakdantam upaasmahae..( Sivasubramanian Perinkulam mama has explained this slokam beautifully)

6 Shadaananam Kumkuma Rakthavarnam, Mahaamatim Divya Mayoora Vahanam Rudraya soonum surasainya Naatham Guha sadaa sharanamaha prapadye.. of course there was

(7) Saraswathi Namstubhyam Varadhe kaamaroopini Vidhyaaramabham karishyaami Sidhhirbhavatu Me sadaa..

and sometimes

|( Gurur brahmaa gurur VishnuH gururddevo Maheswarah GuruH saakshtaat param brahma tasmai shree Gurave namaH.

Then as the child grows, small Ashtakams Like Ganashtakam,

Shiva Aksharamalaa stotram.. adbutha vigraha amaraadheeswara etc.. etc were taught..

the tiny but treasured source then, and now must be the Laghustotraratnaakaram.. published by RS Vadhyaar..of Palakkad

Then somehow we get attracted to Vishnu Sahasrnamam and aapadudhaarans stroram, lakshmi ashtotharam...

Many other manthrams Savitri(Gayatri),

parts of Vedas,

Purusha sooktham,

Srirudram.. Namakam and Chamakam all come later...

But the first manthras.. are NamaH Sivaya to Vishnave HariH..

which we were directed to chant in the evening before the lighted lamps.. even before we knew what it meant..

We only knew that we were paying our respects to Swami who alone could make our lives happy..

Yes, for every child, the first Guru who initiated them in to Panchaksharam was the mother..

The evening prayer itself was called Namassivaya Chollal.. even though the names of Vishnu abounded..

There was an argument whether Sri Ramaaya was necesssary or not.. and children, who sometimes were reluctant to chant even the barest minimum would say that Srirmaaya is not there..

I remember the life as it was six decades or more ago.

Do not know whether such simple manthras would be relevant now..

From Namassivaaya we were chanting with mother and elders, many have reached their places in life ..

Many might have missed their buses.

But that first prayer..

നമശ്ശിവായ

നാരായണായ

അച്യുതായ

അനന്തായ

ഗോവിന്ദായ

ഗോപാലായ

ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണായ

ശ്രീരാമായ

വിഷ്ണവേ ഹരിഃ

has the sweet taste of mother's milk..

I do not know whether the mothers who taught their toddlers theres names knew the Value of Panchaksharam or Achyuta Ananda Govinda which represent the prayer for good health to the master Physician Dhanvantari at that time...

the post as above where I have listed the stotras suffer from spelling errors and pronunciation errors..

I am editing the post to give correct Devanagari and english transliteration..

The itrans version is also give below..

Still I may be wrong in one or two places.. Correct me please..

नमः शिवाय

नारायणाय

अच्युताय

अनन्ताय

गोविन्दाय

गोपालाय

श्रीकृष्णाय

श्रीरामाय

विष्णवे हरिः॥१।

നമശ്ശിവായ

നാരായണായ

അച്യുതായ

അനന്തായ

ഗോവിന്ദായ

ഗോപാലായ

ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണായ

ശ്രീരാമായ

വിഷ്ണവേ ഹരിഃ

कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय देवकी नन्दनाय च

नन्दगोप कुमाराय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः॥२

കൃഷ്ണായ വാസുദേവായ ദേവകീ നന്ദനായ ച

നന്ദഗോപകുമാരായ ഗോവിന്ദായ നമോ നമഃ

शिवं शिवकरं शान्तं शिवात्मानं शिवोत्तमं

शिवमार्ग प्रणेतारं प्रणतोस्मि सदाशिवं॥।३॥

ശിവം ശിവകരം ശാന്തം ശിവാത്മാനം ശിവോത്തമം

ശിവമാര്‍ഗ പ്രണേതാരം പ്രണതോസ്മി സദാശിവം

गजाननं भूत गणाधिसेवितम् कपित्थजम्बू फलसार भक्षितं

उमासुतं शोक विनाशकारणं नमामि विघ्नेश्वर पादपङ्कजम्॥४॥

ഗജാനനം ഭൂതഗണാദിസേവിതം കപിത്ഥജംബൂഫലസാര ഭക്ഷിതം

ഉമാസുതം ശോക വിനാശ കാരണം നമാമി വിഘ്നേശ്വര പാദ പങ്കജം

अगजानन पद्मार्कं गजाननमहर्निशं

अनेकदं तं भक्तानां एकदन्तं उपास्महे॥५।

അഗജാനന പദ്മാര്‍ക്കം ഗജാനനം അഹര്‍ന്നിശം

അനേകദം തം ഭക്താനാം ഏകദന്തം ഉപാസ്മഹെ

षडाननं कुङ्कुम रक्तवर्णम् महामतिं दिव्य मयूरवाहनं

रुद्रस्य सूनुं सुरसैन्य नाथं गुहं सदा शरणमहं प्रपद्ये॥ ६॥

ഷഡാനനം കുങ്കുമ രക്ത വര്‍ണം

മഹാമതിം ദിവ്യ മയൂര വാഹനം

രുദ്രസ്യ സൂനും സുരസൈന്യനാഥം

ഗുഹം സദാ ശരണമഹം പ്രപദ്യെ

सरस्वती नम्स्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणी

विद्यारंभं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा॥७॥

സരസ്വതീ നമസ്തുഭ്യം വരദേ കാമരൂപിണീ

വിദ്യാരംഭം കരിഷ്യാമി സിദ്ധിര്‍ ഭവതു മേ സദാ

गुरुर् ब्रह्मा गुरुर् विष्णुः गुरुर्द्देवो महेश्वरः

गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥८॥

ഗുരുര്‍ ബ്രഹ്മാ ഗുരുര്‍ വിഷ്ണു: ഗുരുര്‍ദേവോ മഹെശ്വരഃ

ഗുരുഃ സാക്ഷാത് പരം ബ്രഹ്മ തസ്മൈ ശ്രീ ഗുരവേ നമഃ

namaḥ śivāya nārāyaṇāya acyutāya anantāya govindāya gopālāya śrīkṛṣṇāya śrīrāmāya viṣṇave hariḥ ||1|

kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya devakī nandanāya ca

nandagopa kumārāya govindāya namo namaḥ||2

śivaṁ śivakaraṁ śāntaṁ śivātmānaṁ śivottamaṁ

śivamārga praṇetāraṁ praṇatosmi sadāśivaṁ|||3||

gajānanaṁ bhūta gaṇādhisevitam kapitthajambū phalasāra bhakṣitaṁ

umāsutaṁ śoka vināśakāraṇaṁ namāmi vighneśvara pādapaṅkajam||4||

agajānana padmārkaṁ gajānanamaharniśaṁ

anekadaṁ taṁ bhaktānāṁ ekadantaṁ upāsmahe||5|

ṣaḍānanaṁ kuṅkuma raktavarṇam mahāmatiṁ divya mayūra

vāhanaṁ rudrasya sūnuṁ surasainya nāthaṁ guhaṁ sadā śaraṇamahaṁ prapadye|| 6||

sarasvatī namstubhyaṁ varade kāmarūpiṇī

vidyāraṁbhaṁ kariṣyāmi siddhirbhavatu me sadā||7||

gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇuḥ gururddevo maheśvaraḥ

guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ||8||

Itrans version

namaH shivaaya naaraayaNaaya achyutaaya anantaaya govindaaya gopaalaaya shriikR^iSNaaya shriiraamaaya viSNave hariH ..1.

kR^iSNaaya vaasudevaaya devakii nandanaaya cha

nandagopa kumaaraaya, govindaaya namo namaH..2

shivaM shivakaraM shaantaM shivaatmaanaM shivottamaM

shivamaarga praNetaaraM praNatosmi sadaashivaM...3..

gajaananaM bhuuta gaNaadhisevitam kapitthajambuu phalasaara bhakSitaM

umaasutaM shoka vinaashakaaraNaM namaami vighneshwara paadapa~Nkajam..4..

agajaanana padmaarkaM gajaananamaharnishaM

anekadaM taM bhaktaanaaM ekadantaM upaasmahe..5.

SaDaananaM ku~Nkuma raktavarNam mahaamatiM divya mayuura

vaahanaM rudrasya suunuM surasainya naathaM guhaM sadaa sharaNamahaM prapadye.. 6..

saraswatii namstubhyaM varade kaamaruupiNii

vidyaaraMbhaM kariSyaami siddhirbhavatu me sadaa..7..

gurur brahmaa gurur viSNuH gururddevo maheshwaraH

guruH saakSaat paraM brahma tasmai shrii gurave namaH..8..