Kumaraguruparar was born in a village called Kailasapuram near Sri Vaikuntham in the Tirunelveli region of Tamil Nadu. He was unable to speak, and so when he was five years old, his parents took him to Tiruchendur. The temple priest waved a flower before the child and asked, “What do I hold in my hands?” The child replied, “Poo.” That is the Tamil word for flower. The child then composed Kandar Kali Venba, beginning with the word “poo.” said T. Rajarathinam, in a discourse. The work is recited in the Tiruchendur temple every day as it contains prayers to Lord Muruga. The work shows that Lord Siva and Muruga are one and the same. The qualities of Siva are also those of Muruga. The first 36 verses establish this, and are therefore considered a condensed version of the Kanda Puranam. The philosophy known as Saiva Sidhhanta explains the Jnana Kanda portions of the Vedas. Keeping this in mind, Pamban Swamigal praises Kandar Kali Venba as the ultimate explanation of the Saiva Agamas.
Kandar Kali Venba begins with a description of Lord Siva’s supreme status. In the svarupa state, God has no name, colour, form, qualities, or actions. He is Omnipresent. These are explained in Saiva Siddhanta, and this is also what Kumaraguruparar explains in Kandar Kali Venba. The qualities of Lord Siva given in Kandar Kali Venba are exactly the same as those given in Saiva Siddhanta texts. That is why Kandar Kali Venba is important to followers of Saiva Siddhanta.
