Medieval Jain thinkers treated the Sthananga Sutra as a trusty compass, guiding both curriculum and commentary for centuries. Its neat division into ten thematic “angās” (limbs) offered a framework that felt almost tailor-made for scholastic pursuit. Scholars like Haribhadra and Hemachandra wove its categories—ranging from philosophy and ontology to ritual conduct—into their own treatises, often quoting the sutra’s concise definitions as authoritative touchstones.

This systematization proved especially handy in temple schools across Gujarat and Rajasthan, where novices first encountered Jain philosophy through lectures anchored in the Sutra’s order. By clustering topics such as dravya (substance), bhāva (qualities) and kevalajñāna (omniscience), it allowed teachers to build step-by-step pathways from foundational ethics to subtle metaphysics. Think of it as an ancient syllabus: each “anga” formed a module, easing the transition from rote learning to nuanced debate.

Commentators leaned heavily on the Sutra’s structure to resolve knotty doctrinal disputes. When questions arose over the nature of karma or the limits of jīva (soul), medieval authors often pointed back to the Sutra’s clear-cut rubrics. Hemachandra’s influential Yogashastra, for example, mirrors its ten-fold outline almost to the letter, even as it dives into yogic practices inspired by both Jain and broader Indic traditions.

More recently, digitization projects—like the one hosted by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute—have revived interest in manuscript variants of the Sthananga. A 2022 conference in Pune spotlighted how scribal glosses from the 13th century subtly shift its categorizations, shedding light on regional interpretive trends that once shaped temple debates.

All told, the Sthananga Sutra stamped medieval Jain scholarship with a spirit of order and clarity. Its fingerprint remains visible today whenever modern students sift through centuries of commentary, discovering how a compact text became the backbone of a vibrant intellectual tradition.