नात्मा श्रुतेर्नित्यत्वाच्च ताभ्यः ।
nātmā śruter nityatvāc ca tābhyaḥ |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 2.3.16)
“The ātmā [i.e., the jīva] is not [created like other things in the world] because of [statements in] the Śruti [e.g., KU 1.2.18], because of [its] being eternal and so forth [i.e., its being conscious (by nature)], and because of those [i.e., other statements in the Smṛti].”