The couplet is built on a tight image-chain: thirst → sight of water → staggering → scooping by hand. On the surface it describes a person who, driven by thirst, finds a tank and hurriedly drinks. In Siddhar discourse, however, “thirst” (தாகம்/வேட்கை) commonly stands for compulsive desire—whether for pleasure, experience, power, or even prematurely for yogic attainments.

The “pond/tank” (டாகம்) can be read as the tempting object that promises relief: worldly enjoyment, a sensual object, or a seemingly easy spiritual solution. “Delusion” (மோகம்) makes the seeker unsteady (“staggering”), implying loss of discrimination (viveka) and inability to approach the goal with composure. “Scooping with the hand” suggests immediacy and lack of proper vessel: instead of disciplined receptivity (a prepared body-mind, a right method, a teacher’s guidance), the person tries to seize fulfillment directly. The verse thus critiques the psychology of craving: desire itself distorts perception and method—one may indeed reach the ‘water,’ yet still approach it wrongly, risking disappointment, impurity, or misreading what the ‘water’ truly is.

In yogic-alchemical symbolism, the ‘water’ may also hint at inner fluids/nectar (amṛta), prāṇa, or an elixir-like essence; attempting to ‘scoop it by hand’ implies forcing subtle processes through gross effort, sensuality, or impatience, rather than through refined practice and containment.