Talk:Possible Pathways of the Ātman
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Vishal Agarwal
The dominant Kārmic residues of the person determine the nerve vein or artery through which the Jīvātmā will leave the heart and the aperture through which it leaves the body. In general, when it leaves the body via ascending vessels and from the upper apertures of the body, it takes a superior pathway to one of the higher realms. Conversely, when the Jīvātmā leaves the heart along a descending vessel and then leaves the body through one of the lower bodily apertures, it takes a pathway leading to a lower realm.