Within the Jain tradition, the Acharanga Sutra has been accompanied and illuminated by a layered commentarial heritage. At the earliest stratum stands the Niryukti, a metrical, mnemonic verse-commentary attributed to Acharya Bhadrabahu. This Niryukti does not function as a full prose exposition, but rather as a structured set of interpretive verses that guide understanding of key terms and themes. Building upon this, the early Churni emerged as a prose commentary that expands the terse sūtra statements and the hints embedded in the Niryukti, thereby opening the text to more systematic reflection.

Subsequent centuries saw the development of more elaborate explanatory works in the form of vritti and tika commentaries. Among these, the contributions of Acharya Haribhadra and Acharya Shilanka are especially noted: Haribhadra is associated with a detailed vritti, while Shilanka’s Acharanga Tika or Vritti is remembered as a comprehensive and influential exposition that integrates earlier interpretive strands. Later, Acharya Abhayadeva Suri and Acharya Malayagiri Suri further enriched the exegetical tradition with authoritative tikas and glosses, which became standard references in Śvetāmbara monastic study. Collectively, these works do more than explain language; they transmit a living understanding of monastic conduct, nonviolence, and restraint as envisioned in the Acharanga.

In the broader Jain landscape, Digambara ācāryas did not develop a parallel line-by-line commentary tradition on this text, since it does not form part of their canon. Yet themes central to the Acharanga—especially ahiṃsā, nudity, and rigorous monastic discipline—are taken up in their independent treatises and doctrinal discussions. Thus, even where the text itself is not directly commented upon, its spirit echoes through wider Jain philosophical and ethical discourse. Through these layered commentaries, the Acharanga Sutra is not merely preserved as an ancient scripture, but continually re-heard as a guide to inner discipline and compassionate conduct.