[Advaita-l] The significance of metaphorical meditations in various Upanishads

[Akilesh Ayyar]

Namaste,

I'm wondering why so much time is spent in various upanishads -- I'm
reading Chhandogya right now -- on various metaphorical comparisons of
Brahman or truth generally to various things.

For example, Brahman is explained as four quarters repeatedly (e.g. fire,
sun, moon, lightning), as the person in the sun or the moon, as the one
seen in the eye, and on and on.

There is also enormous time spent on the meaning of the various vedas as
compared to the sun and the fire and the sky, etc.

How does this relate to the more direct focus on formless Brahman, which is
also featured in the Upanishads, and which is so much more emphasized by,
say, a Sankara or certainly a Ramana Maharshi.

Why is *so much* time and so many words spent on these metaphorical
breakdowns in the Upanishads, when the essence of it is in the unspeakable,
the beyond-concepts?

Best,
Akilesh