yāvatā

indeclinable lokasmiṃ yad idam arahanto “as far as the abodes of beings, as far as heaven, these are the highest these are the best, I mean the Arahants.” SN.iii.84 yāvatā dhammā sankhatā vā asankhatā vā virāgo… aggam akkhāyati, yad-idaṃ mada-nimmadano… AN.ii.34 = Iti.88; “of all the things definite or indefinite passionlessness deserves the highest praise, I mean the disintoxication of pride etc.” The expln at Vism.293 takes yāvatā (grammatically incorrectly) as n. pl. yattakā
■ yāvatā jagato gati as far as (like as) the course of the world Iti.120.

abl. of yāvant in adv. use cp. tāvatā) as far as, like as, in comparison with, regarding, because Dhp.258 (na tena paṇḍito hoti y. bahu bhāsati = yattakena kāraṇena Dhp-a.iii.383), 259, 266 (similarly, C. yattakena); Snp.759 (yāvat’ atthī ti vuccati; explained at Snp-a.509 as “yāvatā ete cha ārammaṇā ʻatthī’ ti vuccanti vacana-vyattayo veditabbo”); yāvatā ariyaṃ paramaṃ sīlaṃ, nâhaṃ tattha attano sama-samaṃ samanupassāmi kuto bhiyyo “compared with this sīla I do not see anyone quite equal to myself, much less greater.” DN.i.74 yāvatā ariyaṃ āyatanaṃ yavatā vanippatho idaṃ agga-nagaraṃ bhavissati Pātaliputtaṃ puṭa-bhedanaṃ Vin.i.229 = Ud.88 = DN.ii.87 (concerning a most splendid site, and a condition for trade, this Pāṭ will be the greatest town; translation Dial. as far as Aryan people resort, as far as merchants travel…). yāvatā satt’ āvāsā yāvatā bhavaggaṃ ete aggā ete saṭṭhā [read seṭṭhā