KATHOPNISHAD CHAPTER 2 SHLOKA 18

                                                      न जायतेम्रियतेवा विपश्चिन्

                                                       नायं कुतश्चिन्न बभूव कश्चित् ।

                                                       अजोनित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

                                                         न हन्यतेहन्यमानेशरीरे ॥ १7

                                         NA JAYATE MRIYATE VA VIPASHITAT

                                 NAYAM KUTSCHINNA BABHUVA KASHCHIT|

                                   AJO NITYAAH SHASHVATOYAM PURANO

                                     NA HANYATE HANYAMANE SHARIRE ||17 

  THE INTELLIGENT SELF IS NOT BORN NOR DOES IT DIE ,IT DID  NOT COME FROM 

                            ANYTHING AND NOTHING COMES OUT OF IT

             UNBORNE,ETERNAL,EVERLASTING,ANCIENT ,IT IS NOT SLAINED 

                                    THOUGH THE BODY IS SLAINED ||17

 In this Shloka the Lord of Death is explaining the qualities of ATMAN. We all know about the qualities of Atman that are described in this Shloka. The similar Shloka is also in Bhagavat Geeta where the Lord Krishna also states the same thing as the qualities of Atman. At the time of death, it is the body that dies and not the Atman.The Atman is not born though the Physical body is born when a child is born . The Physical body comes out of 5 great elements - MAHABHUTA or PANCH MAHABHUTA , namely space ,air, energy, water and earth (PRUTHVI-AAP,TEJ-VAYU-AKASH)There are other things also in it but the ATMAN is not born when a child is born. The Physical body does not come out of ATMAN nor Atman comes out of physical body. The Atman is unborn and so it is eternal , it does not die and so it is ever lasting  and it is there -so Ancient.

   The Atman is not limited by TIME, SPACE OR FORM  and so it is ancient , but there would not be a time when it was not there .One of the example that I have seen been given is that of space - though in my mind there is no perfect example to explain the Atman. But SPACE could be close to it . When a house is built, there is a living room and family room and kitchen and bathroom etc So when we refer to say living room we refer to a SPACE CONFINED BY 4 WALLS OF THE ROOM  and same with every other room. But Is the space CREATED by building 4 walls? The answer is NO.The SPACE WAS THERE  and Space is not limited by 4 walls  and when the walls are destroyed, the space will still be there . So the ATMAN may appear to be Limited by physical body  and it may appear to die with the death of physical body (the living room SPACE is GONE when the house is destroyed) but in reality the Atman does not die with death of physical body just like space does not die when house is destroyed.