Within Dvaita Vedānta, devotion (bhakti) to Viṣṇu stands as the central and indispensable means to liberation. Knowledge (jñāna) and righteous action (karma) are certainly valued, yet they are ultimately subordinate to and fulfilled in devotion. Bhakti is not a mere preparatory aid but the very heart of the liberating path, understood as intense love, unwavering faith, and complete surrender to the Supreme Lord. This devotion is always directed toward a distinct, supreme God—Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa—who is the independent reality, while the individual soul remains forever dependent and different. The relationship is thus one of loving service rather than realization of oneness.

This devotional path is inseparable from the notion of divine grace (prasāda or anugraha). Liberation is granted only through the Lord’s grace, and sincere, steadfast bhakti is the means by which that grace is received. Even the capacity to be devoted is regarded as a gift of God, yet it must be consciously cultivated through worship, remembrance, scriptural study, and ethical conduct. Correct understanding of the eternal distinction between God, souls, and matter deepens and stabilizes devotion, so that bhakti is supported by sound philosophical insight rather than by sentiment alone. Pure, selfless love and surrender to God are thus held to be superior to ritual action and to knowledge pursued in isolation from devotion.

In practice, bhakti in this tradition takes the form of constant remembrance, worship, and service to Viṣṇu, often expressed through temple rituals, mantra recitation, and study of sacred texts. Emotional love, reverence, and a sense of complete dependence on God are emphasized over dry intellectualism. Dvaita also affirms a graded hierarchy of souls with differing capacities, and the most complete and effective devotion is possible for higher-grade souls; yet, for all who are eligible for liberation, sustained devotion to Viṣṇu remains the decisive factor. Liberation itself is envisioned not as dissolution into an impersonal absolute, but as eternal, conscious existence in the presence of Viṣṇu, enjoying unending bliss in serving and contemplating Him. In this way, the bhakti cultivated in embodied life finds its ultimate fulfillment as eternal service (nitya-sevā) in the Lord’s abode.