Probably compiled in the third century B.C., the verses encompass the struggle towards Nirvana - the supreme goal for the Buddhist - and point out the narrow Path of Perfection that leads to it. 'In the Dhammapada we can hear the voice of Buddha,' writes Juan Mascaro, translator of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. 'This gospel of light and love is amongst the greatest spiritual works of man. Each verse is like a small star and the whole has the radiance of eternity.'