Within the Jain tradition, the Sthānānga Sūtra is not regarded as the product of an individual author in the modern literary sense, but as a sacred text rooted in the living transmission of Mahāvīra’s teaching. It is associated with the circle of his immediate disciples, the gaṇadharas, who are understood to have received his words directly and preserved them. This perspective emphasizes that the text is less a personal composition and more a faithful arrangement of revealed doctrine.

In this light, the Sthānānga Sūtra is seen as emerging from the collective spiritual labor of these chief disciples rather than being ascribed definitively to a single named figure. The focus rests on the continuity from Mahāvīra to the gaṇadharas, and from them to the community, as the text was transmitted and preserved. Such an understanding reflects a broader Jain sensibility: the authority of scripture flows from realized insight and disciplined discipleship, not from individual literary creativity.

Thus, when considering who “composed” the Sthānānga Sūtra, the most fitting answer within this tradition is that it was compiled by Mahāvīra’s immediate disciples, the gaṇadharas, as custodians of his teaching. The text stands as a testament to that early community’s effort to safeguard and systematically present categories of knowledge, while keeping the spotlight on the Tīrthaṅkara’s insight rather than on any single human author.