The Three Stages of Transcendent Bhakti
In Rāmānuja's Vedārthasaṅgraha and related texts, the path of bhakti-yoga culminates in three sequential stages:
- Parābhakti — the state of not being able to bear separation from the Lord for even a moment; the constant awareness and longing for the divine presence
- Parājñāna — the direct, non-mediated perception of the Lord's form; the Lord is known directly as if by sense perception
- Paramabhakti — the stage where the soul, having seen the Lord and being unable to exist without him, departs the body and ascends to Vaikuṇṭham — liberation itself
Parābhakti in Nammāzhvār
Nammāzhvār's Tiruvāymozhi is the greatest example of parābhakti in literature. The Āzhvār's 1,102 verses oscillate between the intense joy of the Lord's presence and the unbearable agony of separation (viraha). The fifth, sixth, and seventh centums especially express the peak of this longing. Nammāzhvār says he cannot eat, cannot sleep, cannot think — his entire being is consumed by the longing for Emperumān.
Parābhakti vs. Prapatti
Parābhakti as described here is the culmination of bhakti-yoga — a long path requiring Vedic qualification. Prapatti (śaraṇāgati) is available to all, regardless of qualification, and leads to the same goal through a direct route. The Āzhvārs' experience of parābhakti is a gift of the Lord's grace (Bhagavat-prasāda) rather than the result of disciplined practice.