When did meditation start?

Nobody knows exactly. Indian civilization was born from the fusion of the Aryan and the Indus Valley cultures, which seems to have occurred about 2000 B.C. Parts of the ritual sacrifice of the religion of the ancient Aryans were lyrical, life-affirming hymns in an ancient form of Sanskrit that were meant for incantation. Eventually, Brahmins attempted to explain the meanings of these ancient hymns and accompanying rituals, and these commentaries developed into a sacred heritage that was passed on from one generation to the next. They became the Vedas, India's scriptures. The Word "veda" comes from the root "vid", which means, "to know." According to tradition, the knowledge of the Vedas was revealed to humanity at the very dawn of time. What we think of as Hindu meditation practices were designed to inspire us to experience transcendent reality for ourselves. So, it is reasonable to assume that Hindu meditation practices have been around for several thousand years--and perhaps as many as five thousand years.