प्रेयस् और श्रेयस्

Prayer and Urge. 

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Though the two words may look synonyms, if we relate their Sanskrit equivalents, we can see better :

A Prayer is saying a wish in words before a God "Pray" is cognate सजात / सज्ञात of the verb-root √प्रार्थ् > प्रार्थ्यते -- प्र अर्थ्य् - to express a desire / wish. It is essentially in words, be it mantra or a language.  A mantra is may be again a  sound-equivalent of the sense like ॐ, ह्रीम्, ऐं,  and the likes बीजाक्षर or a compound word of combination of letters that may not have a meaning or seem to have in any language.  Like : नमः शिवाय / ॐ नमः शिवाय . 

An urge which is cognate सजात / अपभ्रंश of two different verb-roots ऊर्ज् > ऊर्जयति / ऊर्ज्यते -- tob give strength / energy / power. The word "erg" unit of energy consumed or equivalent to work done -- is a direct derivative of  verb - root ऊर्ज् 

Again, the word 'urge' (used in the sense of a request in order to beseech a favour) comes from the Sanskrit verb-root 'अर्च्' having the sense of expressing the gratitude / devotion / love. The same word ' अर्च > अर्चति (to worship) took the form 'अर्ज़'; having the same sense, in the Urdu and possibly in the Arabic and the Persian also.

Yet there is another form of this धातु / Verb-root अर्च् as in अर्ज् / अर्ह्  which mean to earn and to deserve respectively.

"Urge" in English also denotes the longing, the deep essential earnest need, at the core of the heart of all and everyone, without fulfilling which there is no meaning and sense any, in life and living.

Therefore we could conclude that Sanskrit has two forms :

One is as a spoken / written language with a grammar and,

Another as the study of the genesis and the structure of any language what-so-ever.

Another form of the Sanskrit संस्कृत language as the spoken and written too is the Prakrit / प्राकृत which has its own grammar originated from the rules governing the conventions prevalent in the different and varied human groups, cultures and societies all over the globe. In comparison, the grammar व्याकरण of Sanskrit that was discovered by the ऋषि like  Panini (पाणिनी) and other sages was the result of the exploration into the nature of sound itself. The word sound (स्वन् / स्वं) conveys the sense "self" and "consciousness" / being also. And at the same time, "स्वं" / "स्वर" is also प्राण in it. This is what is  देवता / devata aspect of the Veda. So there are 33 core देवता / Devata who are conscious presiding deities of the different realms of existence / the universe. This forms the matrix of letters / phonemes in their respective phase. The word matrix too is cognate of the Sanskrit word  मातृका, which is also the "mother-principle" that is supposed to give birth to the universe and all that is there-in. In conclusion :

When you pray, you may worship, express your gratitude to the Lord of your conviction or you may simply remember Him / Her as The Supreme Reality is all in all, that could be addressed as a Father, a Mother, and even as a brother or sister, son or daughter, or in any form or even with no form any. 

This Divinity is also named ब्रह्मन् / Brahman, the Beginningless and the Endless Cause less cause of whatever that is always here and now, irrespective of time and place as is in our assumption.

In contrast and comparison to प्रेयस्, श्रेयस् is also one of the many names of the Reality, -  the ईशिता / ईश्वर, ब्रह्मन् / Brahman Who alone without a second governs the universe and all those things and beings in it.

So there is a Prayer as शान्ति-पाठ that is just an expression for the auspicious well-being for all :

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।।

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखमाप्नुयात्।।

मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत्।।

May all be happy, all free from disease, May all see auspicious, May no one grieve. 

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