The aim of this article is to put Śaṅkara's (c.750 CE) deconstructions of individual identity in dialogue with his ethical support of Vedic identity categories. Śaṅkara is regarded as one of the most significant propounders of the ancient Veda-rooted (āstika) tradition (darśana) of Advaita Vedānta. This tradition argues that the innermost self (ātman) of all individuals (jīva) is non-dual...