The earliest forms of the text may date from as early as the 1st or 2nd Century CE. The final form of the text was probably assembled no earlier than the 3rd Century CE, and by the 4th Century significant commentaries on the text began to be composed by Buddhist scholars, most notably Asaṅga.
The earliest manifestations of this text may have emerged in the 1st or 2nd Centuries CE. The final compilation of the text likely occurred no earlier than the 3rd Century CE, and by the 4th Century, prominent Buddhist scholars such as Asaṅga began to produce significant commentaries on the text.