According to Osho, he was joyful as a professor and is joyful now; what never mattered was prestige. Bliss is an inner discovery, while prestige is a borrowed, secondhand filling sought by those empty within. Because he found bliss, others’ respect is irrelevant—he wasn’t prestigious then and isn’t now. Aside from a playful jab about keeping company with 'mahatmas,' nothing essential has changed.
Real happiness comes from inside, so whether people respect you or not doesn’t change true joy.