Stages of Bhakti yoga are mostly indicative of varying levels of devotion and Godly-ardour. Bhakti yoga is essentially a psycho-religious discipline which needs to be pursued over a long period. Thus it has various stages of development. Ramanuja, who is the foremost exponent of bhakti yoga as a direct means to moksha, has conceived of three important stages. These are termed as para bhakti, para jnana and parama bhakti. In the Vaishnava treatises, Ramanuja was the first to use these terms. These concepts seem to have been taken from the hymns of Nammalvar and the Bhagavad Gita. Though these phrases are not found explicitly either in the verses of the Gita or the Tamil hymns of the Alvars, they are implicit in them. A verse in the Gita says, "To those who seek permanent union with me, and meditate on me, I (the Lord) bestow to them with love, buddhiyoga by means of which they attain me." The term buddhiyoga in this verse does not mean as it is generally understood, the wisdom or knowledge, because such a knowledge does not help to attain God. What is, therefore, intended here is bhakti which has been perfected to the extent of becoming something similar to a vision of God (darsana samana karat).

Ramanuja uses in his Gitabhasya the phrase `vipaka dasa panna` which means bhakti which has reached a stage of perfection. In the Sri bhasya, he repeatedly uses the expression darsana samanakara, which means something similar to an actual vision. The implication of it is that the actual direct and comprehensive vision of God with all His full splendour is not possible at the stage of the practice of bhakti yoga. It comes after the soul is disembodied only in the state of moksha. When the unceasing meditation on God is perfected to the extent of its becoming similar to a clear vision, it is regarded as para bhakti, or higher form of bhakti, to distinguish it from the ordinary bhakti, which is just devotion to God needed in the initial stages of upasana. The para bhakti itself, in the opinion of Ramanuja, is dhruvanu smritis or nididhyasana which is enjoined by the Upanishads as a direct means to moksha. The word darsana also means the same as nididhydsana except that the former is taken as a specific form of the latter signifying contemplation as characterised by vividness (darsana samanakara). The term para bhakti is not a state of jivan mukti of the Advaita Vedanta or God-vision or a state of bhakti to be developed after release as opined by some scholars. It is just the bhakti yoga which is enjoined as the means for moksha. The other two terms para jnana and parama bhakti represent the next two stages of bhakti yoga signifying the intensity of bhakti of the upasaka as evidenced in the mystic experience of God by Nammalvar.

Vedanta Desika has explained clearly the differences between the three stages of bhakti yoga. Bhakti which is the general term refers to the development of love towards God which arises from the contact with pious religious men, or by listening to the religious discourses etc. Consequently this produces a desire to know more about the nature of God and His glory. Such a desire leads to the practice of bhakti yoga proper with all its prerequisites. When this practice reaches a stage of perfection resulting in the experience similar to a vision of God, it assumes the name of para bhakti. The para bhakti in turn produces an intense desire and determination to see the Lord. This makes the upasaka to implore the Lord, in the words of Arjuna, "O Lord, be pleased to show thy whole Self, if I can see you". In response to these ardent appeals, the Supreme Being blesses him with an occasional glimpse of God for a very short duration. This type of temporary saksatkara of God granted to the devotee out of the grace of the Lord is known as para jnana or vision of God. The several glimpses of God obtained by Nammalvar for short duration, as is evident from his hymns, are examples of para jnana.

Such temporary glimpses of God do not satisfy the devotee and it produces in him further intense craving to have a fuller and permanent vision. Being restless, the upasaka makes appeals to God to grant him an everlasting perfect vision of God. This type of bhakti culminating in the deep craving for a permanent vision of God is regarded as parama bhakti, the highest form of bhakti. Only when this final stage is reached, the aspirant, with the Grace of God, becomes disembodied and the individual soul reaches the supra-mundane realm where he enjoys perfect bliss of the Supreme Being (paripurna brahmanubhava). This is the state of moksha, the final goal of bhakti yoga according to Visistadvaita.

Thus, bhakti leads through yoga practice to para bhakti, which leads to para jnana, which in its turn leads to parama bhakti resulting in the attainment of moksha. These are all gradations (avasthas) of bhakti. Such gradations are also admitted in the state of moksha during the unceasing experience of the released soul. In the Saranagati gadya, when Ramanuja prays to God while observing saranagati, to grant him para bhakti, para jnana and parama bhakti, he refers to the bhakti not as a means (upaya) for moksha but for doing divine service in the state of moksha.

There is a difference between the bhakti in the state of moksha and that during the stage of practice of bhakti yoga. In the latter case, it is the sadhana or means of God-realization (sadhana bhakti), whereas in the former case it is bhakti in the form of God`s experience achieved by the observance of the prescribed sadhana. It is, therefore, called phala bhakti.

Bhakti yoga can also serve as a means for attainment of other goals such as aisvarya or wealth, kaivalya or state of blissful existence of the self and worldly prosperity. The bhakti yoga adopted as a direct means for moksha is, therefore, the best one. All the thirty-two upasanas enjoined in the Upanishads are intended for the realization of Brahman. As the goal of these upasanas is the same, viz., the attainment of moksha, they are regarded as alternative means. They are named differently because of the difference in the description of the object of contemplation, viz., Brahman in terms of its attributes. Thus, for instance, the upasana on Brahman as sat or the ground of the entire universe is named sadvidya. The upasana of Brahman as an indweller in the inner recess of the heart (clahara) is known as dahara vidya. In all these cases, the mode of meditation along with the various ethical and religious requirements in connection with bhakti yoga remains the same.