Tradition to Transition: Vedic Ethics in India's Green Growth and Sustainability Strategy

India's green growth strategy is often presented as a new response to twenty-first century climate challenges and the global shift toward sustainable development. This paper argues that the deeper moral basis of this strategy can be found in Vedic and classical Sanskrit traditions. It examines how concepts such as dharma (duty toward all beings), aparigraha (restraint and non-possessiveness), and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world as one family) provide an ethical framework that integrates well with India's current sustainability debates. Drawing on texts viz., Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, and the Maha Upanishad, the study presents a view of nature—earth (prithvi), water (ap), forests (vana), and all living beings as part of a harmonious cosmic order, rather than simply as resources for economic use. The paper shows that these civilisational principles are increasingly visible in India's present policy framework for green growth and energy transition. Government initiatives such as the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar, and FAME India attempt to turn ethical ideas of ecological responsibility into concrete development policy (Government of India, 2008; NITI Aayog, 2023). The spirit of aparigraha is especially clear in Mission LiFE's focus on moderate and mindful consumption. India's rapid expansion of renewable energy provides measurable evidence of this shift. By 2026, total installed renewable capacity has reached around 254 GW, confirming India's position as a major global actor in the transition to clean energy. Aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 national vision, the paper argues that India is developing a distinct “civilisational sustainability model.” This model combines modern technological and environmental governance with ethical values drawn from Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). The study further suggests that achieving long-term goals will require more than new infrastructure. Lasting success will depend on embedding behavioural change, sustainable lifestyle choices, and natural capital accounting measuring economic value through the health of ecosystems at the core of India's green growth strategy.