pronoun, relative

1. yāvant as adj.: as many (as) Dhp.337 (hāvant’ ettha samāgatā as many as are assembled here); Ja.v.72 (yāvanto uda-bindūni… tāvanto gaṇḍū jāyetha; C. on p. 74 explains by yattakāni; yāvatā pl. as many as Pv.ii.1#16; yāvanto Pv.ii.7#16 (= yāvatakā Pv-a.103); Ja.v.370 (detha vatthāni… yavanto eva icchati as many as he wants).
2. yāvat (nt.) used adverbially. The examples and meanings given here are really to be combined with those given under yāva² (yāvad˚). It is hardly possible to distinguish clearly between the 2 categories; the t may well have been reduced to d or been replaced by another sandhi consonant. However, the specific Pāli use of yāva (like tāva) justifies a separate treatment of yāva in that form only
   ■ yāvat occurs only in combination with ca (where we may assume either a peculiar nt. form yāvaṃ: see yāva 2; or an assimilation of t to ñ before c
   ■ The form yāva mahantaṃ may originally have been a yāvaṃ m.) as yāvañ ca “and that,” “i.e.,” how much, however much, so great SN.i.149 (passa yāvañ ca te idaṃ aparaddhaṃ: see how great a mistake you have made in this); Iti.91, Iti.92 (passa yāvañ ca ārakā santike: see how far and near). yāvañ c’ idaṃ stands for; yad-idaṃ (see *ya*˚ 4) in peculiar use of restriction at MN.iii.169; SN.ii.178; AN.iii.34.
3. The nt. form yāvat further occurs in foll. compounds: -āyukaṃ (better as yāvat˚ than yāvatā˚) as long as life lasts, for a lifetime Mhvs.3, Mhvs.41; Vv-a.196 (as adj. ˚āyukā dibba-sampatti) Pv-a.66, Pv-a.73, Pv-a.133; -icchakaṃ as much as is desired, according to one’s wishes Pp.12, Pp.25; Vism.154 (here spelt yāvad -icchakaṃ); -ihaṃ see under yāva (cpds.)

■ instr. yavatā: see sep.

cp. Sk. yāvant; same formation as demonstr. pron. tāvant, of which the P. uses the adv. nt tāva (t) form more frequently than the adj. tāvant The only case so far ascertained where tāvant occurs as adj. is Ja.v.72 (see below)