佛祖歷代通載 8.14

8.14

（三　己巳）　天竺求那跋陀羅至金陵。文帝遣使郊迎。跋陀神情爽邁。帝見之大悅。命居祇桓寺。屢延入內供養。僕射何尚之彭城王義康。南譙王義宣。並師事之。請講華嚴。跋陀以未通華言。乞觀音為增智力。夜夢神力士易其頭。旦起猶覺痛甚。遂遍曉華言。即為眾講之。時以跋陀妙大乘宗旨。因號摩訶衍。

(Year 3: Jisi) Guṇabhadra of Tianzhu arrived in Jinling. Emperor Wen dispatched an envoy to welcome him in the suburbs. Bhadra's demeanor was crisp and extraordinary; when the Emperor saw him he was greatly pleased, and ordered him to reside in the Jetavana Monastery, repeatedly inviting him into the palace to make offerings. The Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs He Shangzhi, King Yikang of Pengcheng, and King Yixuan of Nanjiao all served him as their teacher. They requested him to lecture on the Avataṃsaka, but because Bhadra was not yet fluent in Chinese, he prayed to Avalokiteśvara to increase his wisdom. That night he dreamed that a divine warrior exchanged his head; when he awoke at dawn, he still felt severe pain. Thereupon he became fully proficient in Chinese and immediately lectured on it for the assembly. At that time, because Bhadra had an exquisite grasp of the fundamental tenets of the Great Vehicle, he was dubbed Mahāyāna.