Once there was a small village without any running water. The villagers had to go down to the river to get drinking water. This was some distance, and created a lot of work for the ladies and children, who were assigned the task of bringing buckets of water for drinking. For bathing and washing, people had to go down to the river also, and share the water with all the buffaloes and other animals. The situation was both inconvenient and unsanitary.
A rich man moved to the village. He saw the plight of the villagers, and knew what to do. He had a well dug, and attached an electric pump and generator. The people were very excited about it. It would give them clean water, and they would not have to walk far to get it.
It was decided to hold a big celebration for the inauguration of the new well. Pipes with three golden spigots where the water would run out were laid in place. All the local and regional authorities came to get in on the big event. When the special day came, officials gave many speeches praising the generosity and foresight of the rich man who had paid for the new well. Everyone was supremely happy.
Finally, the moment came. The generator was turned on. They could hear the water in the pipes. The rich man was invited to turn the knob that opened the spigots. He turned it and --- nothing happened. Everyone was puzzled. Then, when they looked, they found that the spigots had never been connected to the pipes from the well. They then connected the spigots to the pipes running from the well. Once this was done, the water flowed freely from the spigots. Everyone congratulated themselves and the villagers lined up to get their first buckets of pure, clean water.
Sathya Sai Baba tells this story. What is the meaning? The meaning is that for service to be useful, there must be a connection between God and man. That connection is love. If there is no love present, then one can do endless service to others without any real benefit. One can also engage in very elaborate and precise forms of worship. One can sit in meditation for a thousand years. But if there is no connection of love to God, there will be no benefits coming from God.