What is the significance of praise?

Verse (Sanskrit): तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी संतुष्टो येन केनचित्‌। अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः।। 19।। ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते। श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः।। 20।। Transliteration: tulyanindāstutirmaunī saṃtuṣṭo yena kenacit‌| aniketaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānme priyo naraḥ|| 19|| ye tu dharmyāmṛtamidaṃ yathoktaṃ paryupāsate| śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāste'tīva me priyāḥ|| 20|| Translation: Equal in blame and praise, silent, content with whatever comes. Homeless, steady-minded, devoted—such a man is dear to Me।। 19।। Yet those who worship this nectar of righteousness, as declared. Faith-filled, with Me as their supreme aim—those devotees are exceedingly dear to Me।। 20।। Now let us take the sutra: And he who regards blame and praise alike, is reflective, always content with whatever sustenance comes for the body by any means, and is free of possessiveness toward dwelling—such a steady-minded, devoted man is dear to me.

"favour and disgrace cause one dismay, what we value and what we fear are as if within the self." what is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The getting (of a favour) leads to the apprehension of losing it, and the losing of it leads to the fear of still greater calamity. This is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace cause one dismay.

It is said that Benito Mussolini was passing by a cinema house one evening. Since the film has just started Mussolini went in unobserved. When, as usual, at the end of the picture, the audience stood up to hail Mussolini, whose picture appeared on the screen, Mussolini, naturally, was filled with pride. He asked the man beside him, "Does it fill you with joy to hail your President?" The man replied, "For your own good I advise you to stand up and hail the Dictator or you will find it very costly. It seems you are a stranger in Italy. You should know that it is impossible to live in this land without cheering Mussolini." Another incident I remember is about Churchill. He was on his way to address the Parliament when his car failed. He hailed a cab, but the driver said he could not take him because he…

The guru tells his disciples: the more humble you are, the simpler you are, the more worthy you become of praise. How amusing! For it is the ego that becomes the recipient of praise. We turn even humility into an ornament of the ego. We bestow prestige upon the one who is humble. And because we give prestige, it becomes easy for him to be humble—for humility becomes an ornament of the ego. Society cannot function without nourishing the ego, because society wants its hands to be inside you. If those hands are not within you, you become free of society. Hence from the small child to the old man we teach everyone ego—in countless forms. The good man has an ego and the bad man has an ego. The saint has an ego and the sinner has an ego.

Verse (Sanskrit): निधीनं’ व पवत्तारं यं पस्से वज्जदास्सिनं निग्गय्हवादिं मेधाविं तादिसं पंडितं भजे। तादिसं भजमानस्स सेय्यो होति न पापियो।।70।। न भजे पापके मित्ते न भजे पुरिसाधमे। भजेथ मित्ते कल्याणे भजेथ पुरिसुत्तमे।।71।। धम्मपीती सुखं सेति विपसन्नेन चेतसा। अरियप्पवेदिते धम्मे सदा रमति पंडितो।।72।। उदकं हि नयंति नेत्तिका उसुकारा नमयंति तेजनं। दारुं नमयंति तच्छका अत्तानं दमयंति पंडिता।।73।। Transliteration: nidhīnaṃ’ va pavattāraṃ yaṃ passe vajjadāssinaṃ niggayhavādiṃ medhāviṃ tādisaṃ paṃḍitaṃ bhaje| tādisaṃ bhajamānassa seyyo hoti na pāpiyo||70|| na bhaje pāpake mitte na bhaje purisādhame| bhajetha mitte kalyāṇe bhajetha purisuttame||71|| dhammapītī sukhaṃ seti vipasannena cetasā| ariyappavedite dhamme sadā ramati paṃḍito||72|| udakaṃ hi nayaṃti nettikā usukārā namayaṃti tejanaṃ| dāruṃ namayaṃti tacchakā attānaṃ damayaṃti paṃḍitā||73|| Translation: Like one who reveals a treasure, if you meet one who points out your faults a wise admonisher, a reprover, such a sage befriend। Keeping such company, you become better, not worse।।70।। Do not keep company with evil friends; do not keep…

Osho, Why does everyone praise a person after he dies—even those who spent his whole life condemning him? What’s the secret?

You ask, “Why do people praise a person after he dies?” They have to. That’s why at weddings people offer blessings and congratulations. The elders send blessings, contemporaries send best wishes—because the poor fellow is as good as dead! Finished! The end has come. They say when an ant is about to die it grows wings—well, the wedding wings have sprouted; the ant is near its end! Henceforth no future. Only darkness ahead. So give all the congratulations and blessings now. Bid a final farewell: “Brother, from here on, it’s between you and God!” That’s why you honor mahatmas and saints so much—the poor fellows are dead! Already dead! Walking corpses! If you don’t respect them, what else can you do? There’s nothing else left to do with them. If they were alive, there would be other ways to relate. Now all you can do is show as much reverence…