Within the Śvetāmbara Jain tradition, the Kalpa Sūtra is understood as a text with three principal sections, each illuminating a different facet of the spiritual path. The first is the Jina-caritra or Jinacharitra, the “Lives of the Jinas,” which presents the biographies of the Tīrthaṅkaras. This section especially dwells on Mahāvira, describing his birth, renunciation, enlightenment, and final liberation, while also giving accounts of Ṛṣabha, Pārśvanātha, Ariṣṭanemi, and other Tīrthaṅkaras, sometimes in briefer form. Through these narratives, the text offers an archetypal pattern of spiritual awakening, using the life-stories of the Jinas as a mirror for the aspirant’s own journey.

The second major section is the Sthavirāvali, often rendered as the “lineage of elders” or “succession of ācāryas.” Here the Kalpa Sūtra traces the line of spiritual teachers beginning with Mahāvira’s chief disciples, such as Gautama, and extending through subsequent generations of monastic leaders. This catalog of names is not merely historical; it functions as a spiritual genealogy, affirming the continuity of the Jain monastic tradition. By preserving this succession, the text underscores that the living community of monks and nuns stands in an unbroken stream of transmission from the Jina’s own time.

The third section, known as Sāmācārī or Samachari, sets forth rules of conduct for the monastic community. It lays out disciplinary guidelines and ritual procedures for monks and nuns, with particular attention to the rainy-season retreat, including the period of Paryuṣaṇa or Cāturmāsa. Within this framework, the Kalpa Sūtra addresses matters such as daily discipline, confession and expiation, and the appropriate observance of vows and communal life. In this way, the text moves from the lofty example of the Jinas to the concrete details of monastic practice, weaving biography, lineage, and discipline into a single tapestry of spiritual order.