The Kalpa Sutra is traditionally regarded within Jain circles as the work of the revered ācārya Bhadrabāhu (often specified as Bhadrabāhu I), a figure remembered as a prominent monk and scholar. Jain tradition places him not long after the nirvāṇa of Mahāvīra, and it is in this early formative period of the community that the text is said to have been compiled. In this way, the Kalpa Sutra stands as both a literary and spiritual bridge between the living memory of Mahāvīra and the emerging structures of Jain monastic life.

Regarding its date, the text is generally located in the early centuries following Mahāvīra’s passing, with traditional and scholarly estimates converging on the broad window of the 4th–3rd century BCE. This is often expressed as roughly 150–300 years after Mahāvīra, placing its composition well before the beginning of the Common Era. Some accounts specify a narrower range within that period, such as around 350–300 BCE, but all point to an early phase in the consolidation of Śvetāmbara canonical literature.

Seen through a spiritual lens, the attribution to Bhadrabāhu and the early dating together suggest a community striving to preserve both memory and discipline while they were still relatively fresh. The Kalpa Sutra’s association with a figure revered for scriptural mastery underscores its role not merely as a historical record, but as a carefully curated expression of the Jain path. In this sense, its compilation can be understood as an act of safeguarding the living current of Mahāvīra’s teaching for generations of seekers and monastics to come.