Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas take shelter of the mode of worship called rāgānugā-bhakti (devotion in the wake of divine passions). Devotion in the wake of Vraja’s rāgātmikā devotion is called rāgānugā bhakti –

virājantīm abhivyaktaṁ vrajavāsī janādiṣu
rāgātmikām anusṛtā yā sā rāgānugocyate (B.R.S. – 1.2.271)

In order to understand rāgātmikā or rāgānugā bhakti we must first understand the meaning of rāga. That deep, natural, loving thirst which causes the topmost absorption within the beloved deity is called raga.

iṣṭe svārasikī rāgaḥ paramāviṣṭatā bhavet
tanmayī yā bhaved bhaktiḥ sātra rāgātmikoditā (ibid – 1.2.272)
iṣṭe gāḍha tṛṣṇā rāga svarūpa lakṣaṇa
iṣṭe āviṣṭatā taṭastha lakṣaṇa kathana (C.C.)

“Deep thirst for the beloved deity is the inherent symptom of rāga whereas the absorption in the beloved deity is called the marginal symptom.”

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has defined rāga and rāgānuga as follows:

tatra viṣayiṇaḥ svābhāviko viṣaya saṁsargecchātiśaya-mayaḥ premā rāga yathā cakṣurādīnāṁ saundaryādau tādṛśa evātra bhaktasya śrī bhagavatyapi rāga ityucyate……..yasya pūrvokte rāga-viśeṣe rucir eva jātāsti na tu rāga-viśeṣa eva svayaṁ tasya tādṛśa rāga-sudhākara karābhāsa samullasita hṛdaya sphaṭika-maṇeḥ śāstrādi śrutāsu tādṛśyā rāgātmikāyā bhakteḥ paripāṭīṣvapi rucir jāyate. tatas tadīyaṁ rāgaṁ rucyānugacchantī sā rāgānugā tasyaiva pravartate (Bhakti Sandarbha 310).

“rāga means the strong and natural desire of a sense-enjoyer for his beloved sense-objects. The senses, like the eyes, are naturally attracted to their objects, such as beautiful forms, and they need no encouragement in this. In the same way, when a devotee’s heart is naturally attracted to the Lord and he has a deep thirst for the Lord then this is called rāga. When a mere ray of the nectar-moon of such rāga falls on the crystal-clear hearts of those devotees who only have some taste for a particular rāga but do not possess that rāga itself yet, then the heart rejoices and as a result of hearing from the scriptures and saints taste will awaken within the heart of such a devotee for the devotional expertise of a rāgātmika bhakta. This means that ruci (taste) will awaken within the heart when we hear about the loving devotional expertise of a rāgātmika vraja-bhakta from the scriptures or from the mouth of a saint whose heart is pure, that is, free from lust, anger and envy. The devotion which follows the rāga of a rāgātmikā Vraja-devotee along with ruci is called rāgānugā bhakti.”

Hardly anyone has such ruci in the first stage of devotional life, but still, when one hears about the loving activities of the people of Vraja (Kṛṣṇa’s servants, friends, elders and lovers) from the mouth of a pure soul who performs bhajana while following the scriptural injunctions and who has thus become immersed in the pure rāga of Vraja, sacred greed will awaken in the heart of the neophyte devotee to attain such a love also. This is called ‘rāgānugā bhajana’. Of the different kinds of sweet love of Vraja’s consorts Śrīman Mahāprabhu and His dear associates the Gosvāmīs have instructed us in the most excellent worship in the wake of mañjarīs like Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s dear maidservant Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī.

This Vilāpa Kusumāñjali of Śrīmat Dāsa Gosvāmīpāda is filled with this sweet flavour of mañjarī bhāva.
(Śrīmat Ananta Dāsa Bābājī – foreword to Vilapa Kusumanjali)