The Gheranda Samhita is traditionally attributed to the sage Gheranda, who appears within the text as the guiding teacher. The work unfolds as a dialogue in which Gheranda imparts instruction to his disciple, Chanda Kapali, thus framing the text as a direct transmission of yogic wisdom from guru to student. This literary form not only conveys teachings but also reflects the living lineage model that underlies much of classical yoga literature.

Regarding its historical setting, the Gheranda Samhita is generally placed in the later phase of the medieval haṭha yoga tradition. Scholarly estimates converge on a composition date around the late seventeenth century of the Common Era, sometimes extending into the early eighteenth century. This positions the text among the later haṭha yoga compendia, emerging after earlier foundational works and contributing to the maturation of the tradition’s systematic presentation of practice.