Hour 6 Meditation – Meditation in the Vedas and Upanishads

Meditation in the Vedas and Upanishads

Today we will go on our spiritual journey into the ancient core of India’s meditative tradition—a journey that leads us back more than five thousand years, to the original hymns of the Vedas and the silent whispers of the Upanishads. These scriptures are not scriptures; they are living energies, resonating with the presence of rishis who experienced the ultimate truth firsthand.

To realize meditation in its purest, most original way, we must sit quietly alongside these sages, not merely as readers, but as humble learners of the timeless wisdom wafting through their words.

Let us start.

The Vedas: The Cosmic Song and the Seeds of Meditation

The Vedas—Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva—are the oldest known spiritual writings of humanity. They are replete with mantras, hymns, and prayers to cosmic powers—Agni (fire), Vayu (wind), Surya (sun), Indra (energy), and so on. Initially, they seem to be ritualistic or festive. But beneath this surface lies something more profound—a meditation consciousness.

The rishis (seers) did not compose the Vedas. They listened to them—Shruti—from the silence beyond the mind. That is why the Vedas are referred to as apauruṣeya—not humanly created. They are the purest result of meditative absorption.

“Ritam cha satyam chābhīdhat tapasodhyajāyata…”

(Truth and cosmic order arise from tapas—from deep meditative intensity) — Rig Veda 10.190

Tapas – The Fire of Meditation

One of the oldest Vedic terms for meditation is Tapas—usually translated as austerity or inner heat. But essentially, it means the concentrated intensity of awareness—the burning away of distractions, the mind’s noise, to achieve the eternal.

This Tapas is not outer suffering. It is an inner discipline—a complete turning inward.

Mantra and Meditation in the Vedas

In the Vedas, mantra japa—repetitive chanting of sacred sounds—is not vocal only. It’s meditative. The sound is a gateway.

Consider, for instance, the Gayatri Mantra:

“Om Bhur Bhuvah Swah

Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayāt”

The essence of the mantra is “dhīmahi“—”Let us meditate.”

This is the first explicit utilization of the concept of meditation in the Vedic tradition: not as a practice, but as a yielding to divine light.

Thus, meditation in the Vedas is interwoven with sound, faith, inner fire, and concentrated awareness.

The Upanishads: Silence After the Song

If the Vedas are the cosmic symphony, the Upanishads are its silent echo.

They are the distilled wisdom at the end of the Vedas—hence called Vedanta (Veda + anta = “end of the Vedas”). But they are not an end in time—they are the culmination of insight. The Upanishads mark the transition from ritual to realization, from outer worship to inner silence.

Here, meditation is not ritualistic—it becomes experiential.

Dhyana in the Upanishads: Not Doing, But Being

The Upanishads describe meditation through words like:

• Dhyana – absorption, reflective contemplation
• Upasana – sitting close to the truth, or the Guru, in deep contemplation
• Nididhyasana – abiding inward dwelling on the truth
• Atma Vichara – Self-enquiry

Let’s look at some of the major meditative insights of the Upanishads:

1. The Chandogya Upanishad: “Tat Tvam Asi” – Thou Art That

In perhaps the most beautiful Upanishadic conversation, the sage Uddalaka instructs his son Shvetaketu that all diversity proceeds from One.

He employs a straightforward analogy: As all clay pots are but clay shaped in various forms, all beings are but manifestations of the same Self.

He iterates:

“Tat Tvam Asi” – That Thou Art.

Meditating on this line is not to consider it but to allow it to echo in quiet. The meditator looks inward to directly realize this non-dual truth.

2. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “Neti Neti” – Not This, Not This

In this ancient conversation, the seers lead the seeker within by negation:

“You are not the body… not the senses… not the mind… not even the intellect. Neti Neti – Not this, not this.”

This is a potent meditation practice—to continue to let go of identification until what is left is the pure, unchanging Self—Atman.

This is the original path of witnessing—what later becomes sakshi bhav in yogic meditation.

3. The Mandukya Upanishad: Turiya – The Fourth State

This Upanishad describes four states of consciousness:

• Jagrat – Waking
• Swapna – Dream
• Sushupti – Deep sleep
• Turiya – The silent background behind all three

Turiya is not an altered state. It is your eternal background awareness.

Meditation is the path that leads the seeker from identification with thoughts and sleep into this silent witnessing.

4. The Katha Upanishad: The Inner Chariot

Yama, the god of death, instructs young Nachiketa through a powerful metaphor:

• Body = Chariot
• Mind = Reins
• Senses = Horses
• Intellect = Driver
• Self = The Silent Witness within

If the horses aren’t trained and the reins maintained steady, the chariot will wander.

This is the yogic practice of meditation: to tame the senses, cleanse the mind, and steer inward to the Self.

Meditation in the Upanishads Is…

• Not concentration, but effortless abiding in awareness.
• Not devotion to a god, but identification of the Self as divine.
• Not faith, but immediate perception—termed Aparoksha Anubhuti.

Osho’s Insights into the Vedas and Upanishads

Osho used to say the Upanishads are not to be read like scriptures—but to be approached as a silence.

“They were not written. They were heard in meditation. Hence, they are not philosophies but revelations.”

He stressed:

• The rishis’ non-dual vision.
• The path of experience of realization, rather than intellectual faith.
• The significance of the witness behind all experiences.

In his talks on the Isha, Mandukya, and Katha Upanishads, Osho brings the words to life—not as stale literature, but as living meditations.

Practice: A Glimpse into Upanishadic Meditation

“Tat Tvam Asi” – Thou Art That

• Sit quietly. Make your body and breath natural.
• Slowly close your eyes.
• Start silently repeating the mantra: “Tat Tvam Asi”
  • Feel “Tat” with the breath in (That / the Absolute)
  • Feel “Tvam Asi” with the breath out (Thou Art / You Are)
• Allow the meaning to melt away. Allow the words to become silence.
• Rest in the sense of being.

Sit for 15–20 minutes in this wordless reflection.

Contemplation Questions

• Who am I when I release all labels and roles?
• What remains when I am not the body, not the mind, not the name?
• Can I hear the silence between thoughts?

Conclusion: The First Flame of Meditation

Dear one, the Vedas kindle the first spark. The Upanishads fan it into a silent flame. This flame has not flickered out—it resides in you.

When you meditate, you are not learning something new. You are coming home—to the same place the ancient rishis entered.

Close your eyes, listen deeply… and the Upanishads will whisper their truth directly into your heart.

Make meditation your direct experience—not through effort, but through stillness.

You are that. You are already that.

Remember.