1. Objective:
One of the directives given by Srimad Azhagiya Singar for establishing Sri Ahobila Mutt in the U.S. is the spread of Sri Sampradayam among the devout. In an effort to fulfil this directive we propose to initiate a new e-mail list called "Sri Malola Paduka Sevaka Net" also known as "Malolan_net." The primary objective of Malolan_net (also referred to as "list" hereafter) is the propagation of Sri Ramanuja Dharsanam as firmly established by Swami Sri Desikan (hereafter referred to as Sri Desika Sampradayam) among Sri Vaishnavas with interest in the study and practice of our tradition. With the grace of Malolan and the divine anugraham of Srimad Azhagiya Singar, the list will promote things such as knowledge and practice of prapatthi, anubhavam of Bhagavath kalyana gunas, bhagavath/bhaagavatha service, and traditional anushtanam, all in accordance with Sri Desika Sampradayam.

2. Rationale for a new e-mail list:
In order to accomplish the above objective the e-mail list must promote undiluted presentation of the doctrines of Sri Desika Sampradayam. The rules of participation of the list must be such that these presentations do not trigger an acrimonious debate that would obscure the stated objective. The rules of none of the existing e-mail lists are consistent with the above prerequisite. Thus, there is a need for a new list. The ground rules for the proposed Malolan_net would strive to provide an environment where participants can engage in the exchange of undiluted and most faithful doctrinal information about Sri Desika Sampradayam without fear of offending anyone.

3. Administration of the list:
Among the conditions required to achieve the objectives of this e- mail are the need for the discussions to be relentlessly faithful to Sri Desika Sampradayam and authentic study of esoteric topics. Primarily for this reason criteria for admission into the list, ground rules for the nature of discussions, and disciplinary procedure for violations are spelt out in detail below. Further, the archives of the postings will be made available to the membership only. It will not be available to the general public.

3.1 Criteria for admission:
In order to avoid polemic and acrimonious exchanges in the course of presenting most authentic information faithful to Sri Desika Sampradayam prospective member must complete the following procedure before he/she can be enrolled into the list.

1. The member must first visit the web site: http://www.ahobilamutt.org/mnet/edituser01.asp and enter the necessary information.
2. The prospective member must be sponsored by an existing member of Sri Malolan Net. If this is not practical, a prospective member can self sponsor, but the verification of the application may take a longer time.
3. The prospective member must read this document carefully and agree to follow the principles and guidelines narrated here.
4. Specifically, the prospective members must agree to follow the guidelines established uner section 3.2 and make the following statement presented in the web and through e-mail.

   "I understand that Malola Paduka Sevaka Net, alias Malolan_net, is intended to promote the study and practice Sri Desika Sampradayam. As a mark of this understanding I affirm that I have either undergone Bhara Samarpanam (ie. Prapatti) as a separate upaya anushthanam through an Acharya of Desika Sampradayam, or I am not philosophically opposed to Bhara Samaprpanam as a separate upaya anushthanam for attaining mOksham as followed by Desika Sampradayam. In addition, I whole heartedly accept all the tenets of Desika Sampradayam as practiced and taught by the present day Acharyas of Sri Desika Sampradayam, aka Vadakalai Sampradayam. Finally, I will not forward any of the mail appearning in Sri Malolan Net to anyone without the express written consent of the net administrator (presently, Sri Srikanth Raghavan) and the author of the article.

3.2 Ground rules for discussion
The ground rules must foster discussion that promotes the primary objective of this e-mail list. For the purpose of laying down guidelines let us classify the posts to the list into two categories, (a) questions, and (b) explanations. Category (b) may be in form of answers to questions that were raised, or may simply be explanatory notes not prompted by a previous question.

3.2.1 Questions:
The purpose of asking questions is to gain proper understanding of Sri Desika Sampradayam and to put it into practice. Therefore, questions must be in the nature of enquiry. They must not be phrased in the form of a challenge. Utmost care and respect must be shown towards Acharyas and Azhvaars.

3.2.2 Explanations:
The primary objective is to promote the understanding and practice of Sri Desika Sampradayam. Therefore, the explanations provided must be consistent with Sri Desika Sampradayam. The following list gives some examples of discussions that will be beneficial and those that will not be.

1. All posts in the nature of explanations whether or not preceded by a question, must be faithful to Acharyas intent (ThiruvuLLam).
2. Explanations posted must enhance the understanding of Sri Desika Sampradayam, strictly in conformance to Sri Vaishnava works.
3. To the extent possible they must include quotations from Acharyas works to authenticate the presentation.
4. Even though Sri Malolan Net is a private net, authors must only present explanations that they can defend in any open forum.
5. Posts must show utmost deference to all Sri Vaishnava acharya parambarai.
6. Translations of Sampradayic texts are welcome. However, it is important to be assiduously faithful to the original text. To the extent possible the translation must be verbatim. Extrapolation must be avoided.
7. Personal experiences in the nature of "anubhavam" would be enjoyable and are welcome, but not our own independent opinion that are not strictly consistent with Sri Desika Sampradaya.
8. Expositions of philosophical systems other than Sri Sampradayam must be avoided except when quoted as "poorvapaksha" that is then rebutted.
9. Discussions of works that do not belong to Sri Sampradayam must be avoided.
10. General treatise in the nature of mere academic scholarly expositions that do not promote the understanding and practice of Sri Desika Sampradayam must be avoided.
11. Pranavam must not be written out.
12. Thiruvashtaaksharam, Dwayam, and other Vedic manthras must not be written out in their complete form.

These rules must not be misunderstood as a desire to either shut out contradictory views or to show disrespect towards other systems. The reason for these rules is to ensure authenticity of explanations provided with respect to Sri Desika Sampradayam and to maintain an unwavering focus upon the stated objective of this list.

3.3 Membership committee
A three member " Monitoring Committee" will formed from the existing members of Sri Malolan Net. This committee will be ratified by the board of Sri Ahobila Muth . One of the three members will be named as the Chair. This committee will also monitor the discussions that take place in the list. Other functions of this committee are explained below.

3.4 Procedure for dismissal
Any member of the Malolan_net may be dismissed from the list by the the Monitoring Committee (MC) if he or she exhibits a pattern of disregard for the ground rules explained in paragraph 3.2. The following procedure must be followed for this purpose.

1. Complaints against any member may be presented to the Chair of MC citing a pattern of disregard for the ground rules. This complaint must be made by at least two existing members of Malolan_net in good standing.
2. The Chair can also initiate a complaint one his/her own accord.
3. When a proper complaint, as described in (1) and (2) above is lodged, the Chair will investigate the complaint in consultation with the other two members of the committee. The member against whom the complaint is made must be given a chance to respond. Confidentiality may be maintained as required. If the complaint is resolved amicably the matter may be dropped.

3.5 Archives and membership information

1. All the post appearing in the net are automatically archived by Yahoogroups. This archive will be visible only to the members of Sri Malolan Net. One again, the members are required not to forward any posts from the Archives to any individual or other nets without the written permission of the author of the post and the administrator of Sri Malolan Net (presently Sri Srikanth Raghavan).
2. To promote cordial personal relationship among members a private web page giving the details such as member's name, address, phone number, and e-mail ID will be maintained. Members may choose not to be listed.

General comments
Membership Committee: Anand Karalapakkam (Chair), and Diwakar Kannan.