Your Mantra & Meditation Practice
Two mantras matter most: the one for your lagna lord, which supports the chart as a whole, and the one for the mahadasha you are currently running, which is the planet actually shaping this stretch of your life.
The classical count is 108 repetitions a day, or the planet's own japa number completed across its period. Consistency is worth more than volume — a count you keep every day beats a large number abandoned in a fortnight.
Mantra is the remedy the tradition places above gemstones and rituals, because it costs nothing and asks only for attention.
Questions
When should I chant?
Traditionally at sunrise, facing east, on the planet's weekday. In practice, the time you will actually keep is the right time.
Do I need initiation?
Beeja mantras for the nine grahas are publicly published and traditionally recited without initiation. Deity mantras from a specific lineage are a different matter.
This is a classical astrological calculation, not medical advice. Nothing here diagnoses or treats illness. If something is wrong, see a doctor — the tradition itself prescribes remedies alongside treatment, never instead of it.