Is inner realization of the identity of the Self and God necessary for everlasting bliss?
Turning to the second dimension of the seeker’s question, Brahm Bodhi explained that realizing the true nature of the Self is not the only road to everlasting bliss.
According to the Bhagavata Purana, one of the foremost scriptures of the Bhakti tradition, there is another path to eternal bliss. On this path, the rigorous disciplines prescribed in works such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are not indispensable, nor is the direct realization of the true nature of the Self a prerequisite for Liberation.
This is the Path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga), rather than the Path of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga) or the Path of Meditation (Dhyana Yoga).
The devotee’s aspiration
A devotee does not focus on realizing the true nature of the Self, nor does he seek, through inward contemplation, to experience the identity of the individual Self with the Supreme Brahman. His aspiration is directed towards Bhagavan Narayana, the Saguna Brahman — the personal manifestation of the Supreme Reality.
The centre of his spiritual life is not philosophical inquiry but loving devotion, worship, adoration, self-surrender, and an ever-deepening relationship with God.
The devotee is not devoid of knowledge
This does not mean that a devotee is devoid of knowledge. On the contrary, he possesses all the essential knowledge required for spiritual life. He knows that God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infinitely compassionate, and perfectly just — the Creator, Sustainer, and Dissolver of the universe, and the loving protector of His devotees.
For the devotee, this knowledge is sufficient.
He does not consider it necessary to pursue an elaborate philosophical understanding of the relationship between the individual Self and the Supreme Reality, because his goal is not to merge into the Nirguna Brahman. His longing is to attain Bhagavan Narayana, the Saguna Brahman — the personal and loving manifestation of that very Supreme Reality.
The culmination: Vaikuntha
Thus, through love and devotion, he steadily advances towards God. The culmination of his spiritual journey is the attainment of Vaikuntha, the Divine Abode of Bhagavan Vishnu, where the Lord eternally manifests Himself in His glorious Personal Form.
Having reached that Divine Abode, the devotee experiences eternal, unalloyed bliss. Maya has no access there; time has no dominion there. It is a realm pervaded entirely by pure Sattva, and sorrow cannot even cast its shadow upon those who dwell there.
Two paths, one Supreme Goal
Therefore, it is incorrect to conclude that without realizing the true nature of the Self one cannot attain God, Liberation, or eternal bliss. The very same Supreme Goal can also be attained through selfless love and unwavering devotion to the Saguna Brahman.
Bhagavan Krishna Himself affirms this profound truth in the Bhagavad Gita, declaring that seekers approach Him through different spiritual attitudes:
jñāna-yajñena cāpy anye yajanto mām upāsate; ekatvena pṛthaktvena bahudhā viśvato-mukham.
“Others worship Me through the sacrifice of knowledge — some perceiving Me as One, others as distinct from themselves, while still others adore Me in My countless universal manifestations.”
Thus, some seekers approach the Supreme through the vision of Oneness, while others approach Him through the attitude of loving distinctness. Although the disciplines of these two paths differ, both ultimately lead to the same Supreme Reality.