Human conception of what it is to be human is predicated on a homocentric logic that has its genesis in the Western philosophical tradition, specifically Greco-Roman thought. Awareness of the Anthropocene, the unmistakable realization that we as a species has been instrumental in altering, even to an extent, destroying the earth that we inhabit forces us to interrogate these received notions. While the world is fast hurtling towards a point of climatic no return, we might be able to put a break on or deflect the trajectory by redefining the human. Discarding the concept of man as occupying the apex of creation in favour of indigenous conceptions could be critical. However, given today’s reality, indigenizing the idea of what it is to be human can be a fraught exercise. Indigenous communities have existed in self-contained and self-sustaining groups and their thought and life style reflect that reality. This might not prove to be viable for large societies or a globalized world. This paper proposes to examine the concept of being human reflected in narratives and knowledges drawn from the Vedic heritage in India. The Vedas encapsulate a philosophy and a thought process that has withstood the test of time. The philosophy that it embodies has impacted even major religions like Buddhism. This paper will examine the challenges that confront man in the Anthropocene and suggest ways of redefining the human based on the world views and wisdom perspectives evident in ancient Vedic texts (The Vedas is estimated to have been written between 1500 and 1200 BCE).