Guru madhye Sthitham Vishwam
Vishwa madhye sthitho Guruhu
Gurur-Vishwan Nacha-anyosthi
Thasmai Shree Gurave Namah
The Universe has its being within the Guru; the Guru abides within the universe as its essence; the Guru is the universe; nothing exists besides him. Salutations to such a Guru - Shri Guru Gita
Some have this question. Is Guru different from God? If Guru helps in realizing God, then must Guru be different from God? One physical analogy that easily comes to a logical mind is the concept of the Teacher, the Taught, and the Subject. There may be a tendency to differentiate between the subject and the teacher not knowing that Teacher is the representation of the subject and none else; thus is as venerable.
Similar concept is explained in the Bible as the God of trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Bible says that the Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as Father. They are distinct persons; yet, they are all one God. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are coeternal, coequal, and co powerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God.