Vishishtadvaita holds that all jivas are eligible for moksha. But one who is desirous of attaining it must strive for it by practicing saadhana, which will result in the Lord’s grace needed to achieve the goal.
According to Vishishtadvaita, bhakti yoga and prapatti yoga
are the two direct paths to this supreme goal of moksha. While Vedantic texts
lay greater stress on bhakti as the way of sadhana, Vaishnava literature, like
the Agamas and the Divyaprabandha of the Alvars, accord greater importance to prapatti.
Bhakti is defined as mahanyya-vshaaye priti, intense love
for the Supreme Being. As a means for moksha, it is a rigorous spiritual
discipline which demands constant loving meditation, snehapurvam anudhyanam. It
is a complex process involving upasana, worship of Brahman on the lines of the ashtanga-yoga
prescribed in the yoga system. But practice of bhakti yoga presupposes
knowledge of the self as arising from the proper practice of karma yoga and
jnana yoga, as laid down in the Gita. Performing nitya and naimittika karmas
without any attachment to their fruits keeps the mind at peace and prepares the
aspirant to realize the self, either directly or through jnana yoga which,
under normal circumstances, is the next step in the ladder.
While the Advaitin holds that jnana yoga is the main sadhana
for brahma-sakshatkara, realization of Brahman, for the Vishishtadvaitin both
karma yoga and jnana yoga are merely aids to atma-sakshatkara, realization of
the self, and brahma-sakshatkara takes place only through bhakti yoga. Bhakti
yoga comprises meditation, worship, and seeking refuge in Paramatman. When
bhakti reaches a certain mature state, it provides a near equivalent, darshanasamakara,
of the vision of Paramatman and the aspirant develops para-bhakti. When this parabhakti
creates an intense desire for the direct vision of God, he grants a glimpse of
himself, and the aspirant reaches the state known as para-jnana. Then follows
an ardent desire for the constant vision of God, which is parama-bhakti. When
this stage is reached, bhakti culminates in moksha and the aspirant enjoys the
bliss of paripurna-brahmanubhava, full realization of Brahman.
The path of bhakti yoga presents innumerable difficulties,
and even very competent aspirants find it very arduous. Nor is every jiva
eligible to practice it. The Gita, the Agamas, and the Divya-prabandha of the
Alvars have shown an alternate path to moksha. This is the path of
self-surrender — also called sharanagati, prapatti, nyasa, and atma-nikshepa. Prapatti
does not require the practice of any of the rigorous yogas. It is open to all
irrespective of caste, creed, or gender. An aspirant has to just surrender oneself
unto the Supreme Being once, in all humility, accepting two things: that there is no other alternative for him
than this self-surrender, ananyagatitva; that he is not capable of taking to
any other means to attain moksha, sadhana akincanya.
Total cessation of the bondage of the cycle of birth and
death forms the general concept of freedom in Hindu philosophy. However,
Vishishtadvaita holds that the ultimate goal is not mere freedom from bondage,
as in the transcendental realm the jiva does not lose its identity but enjoys
fully the bliss of Brahman paripurnabrahmanubhava. Further, omniscience, the
true nature of the jiva, becomes manifest in this state, as its dharmabhuta-jnana
is freed from all constraints. Though the jiva attains a status of samya,
equality, with Brahman and enjoys the bliss of Brahman, an ontological
difference exists between the two. The jiva cannot share with Brahman its
unique status of being the cause of the creation, sustenance, and dissolution
of the universe. All the same, moksha is a positive state of existence for the
jiva in which it eternally enjoys the bliss of Brahman.