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Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ—O my Lord; namaḥ—I offer my respectful obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya—unto the Supreme Lord

“O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda states in his purport to this verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1:

“Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, directly indicate Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devakī.”

This mantra can be chanted at any time. Śrīla Prabhupāda chanted this three times before reciting Vedic sastra, such as Bhagavad-Gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, etc.

It is formally known as dvādaśākṣara-mantra and was spoken by Narada Muni to Dhruva Maharaja in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.8.54.

Śrīla Prabhupāda in the beginning of his purport to this verse says:

“Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya is known as the dvādaśākṣara-mantra. This mantra is chanted by Vaiṣṇava devotees, and it begins with praṇava, or oṁkāra.”