In plain words
a treasury of nectar, offered to us by churning all the śāstras that emerged from every branch of learning. That is to say, the churned butter. Ordinarily, Vijñāna does not mean pointing and saying 'this is a table, this is a round stone, this is a house, this is a thorn' — that is merely ordinary knowledge. Next in order: knowing that some action will bring good both to myself and to others is sujñāna. Both of these are simply functions of the Buddhi. But when virtues such as Satya, Ahiṃsā and compassion for all beings are joined with it, the transformation of the heart that results may rightly be called Vijñāna. Because of that transformation, recognizing the kinship that exists between man, the machinery of creation, and the Creator, and living in a way that gives rise to no conflict — this is called the mark of Vijñāna. Ignorance brings sorrow; Vijñāna brings happiness — each brings about its own result. Whenever the doubt arises — 'Is this Vijñāna, or is it not?' — the touchstone for resolving it is one's own inner conscience. Whatever the matter, whether worldly or spiritual, whatever gives unblemished happiness — that alone is Vijñāna.
The measure by which Vijñāna itself is measured is Dharma. To whatever extent Dharma is followed, Vijñāna grows in that same measure; the peace and prosperity of a nation are the evidence of this. A deficiency of Dharma is itself a sign of the absence of Vijñāna. According to how faithfully Dharma was practised, distinct ages came to be. In the age when Dharma and moral precepts proceeded in proper order, Dharma is said to have walked on four feet — that very state is called the Kṛta Yuga. When morality and precepts had somewhat diminished, Dharma walked on three feet, and that condition is called the Tretā Yuga. When Dharma walked on only two feet — that is, when two of the four parts of honesty and integrity had declined — this age they called the Dvāpara Yuga. And when, abandoning two feet altogether, Dharma walked on a single foot alone — that is, when honesty and integrity had been lost entirely — this age they called the Kali Yuga. All the wisdom of the Bharatiya people is thus condensed, and remains condensed, in the single principle of Dharma.
That creation is unreal — that is to say, Māyā — and that saṃsāra is filled with sorrow,