What do we own?

||Na karmana na prajaya dhanena tyagenaike amritatva manashuh parena nakam nihitam guhayam
vibhrajate yadyatayo visanti||

Neither by actions, nor by (aquiring) progeny and wealth, but by renunciation alone is immortality attained.(That Supreme State ) is far beyond the highest heaven, and the sages perceive it,hidden in the cave of the heart, shining brilliantly therein.

We recite the above verse while bowing to the one who has renounced everything. But what is that supreme state?

Sri Shankaracharya, in Nirvana Shatakam, says;

अहं निर्विकल्पो निराकाररूपो
विभुत्वाच्च सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् ।
न चासङ्गतं नैव मुक्तिर्न मेयः
चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥६॥

I am Without any Variation and Without any Form,
I am Present Everywhere as the underlying Substratum of everything and behind all Sense Organs,
Neither do I get Attached to anything, nor get Freed from anything,
I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

Among the 8.4 million lifeforms, Human alone has two unique qualities, that makes him superior to all other forms

• Intellect
• Ability to Speak

Rest everything remains common. But we use them for hoarding, building things that take us away from the real purpose of our existence, Reaching/Knowing the Supreme State.

We are born on this planet with a lifespan, to perform actions stipulated by our Vedas and attain the state.

This lifespan, in general, is defined in the unit of earth years; eg 100 years for a human, A giant tortoise can live up to 400–500 years. But not everyone is able to live that long except a few.

Lifespan is like a lamp; the glowing light being the life and the oil is the Prana (breath), the vital power.

Just like the lamp burns out once the oil is dried, so is our life span once we exhaust the total breaths. Thus the life span of 100 years means, that we have a reserve of prana that can last for 100 years.

Some consume it within 30–40 years, some use it for 300–400 years.

If there is one thing we can control, in our body, then its the breathing pattern alone;

The only thing that we own is a reserve of our vital power, that propels our life ship in this ocean of samsara.

The wise use it wisely, living without any attachment leads to lesser desires, when one has no desire, there is no reason one gets angry, and when one doesn’t get angry one stays at peace, optimising the use of Prana.

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते।

सङ्गात् संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते।।2.62।।

क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।

स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति।।2.63।।

Says Sri Krishna in Gita.

Does this mean that we own Prana? Absolutely no, who is breathing when we are asleep or unconscious? It's the Supreme that does it for us. He has allowed us to take control of it, that doesn't; mean we own it.

We literally own nothing!!