How far is it true to say that 'Everything is fair in love and war'?

[Ms. Lakshmi Thrylokya asked: Swami, please correct the thinking which I am mentioning below. Many people follow this famous saying that 'Everything is fair in love and war'. This statement appears to be true in case of Lord Krishna also. He romanced with married Gopikas which looks unfair and also won Kurukshetra war with unfair tricks. Since they are cases of love and war respectively, they became fair. Hence, there is no sin if we do it for the sake of love or war. This logic helps to escape people from following justice. Please enlighten us. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]

Swami Replied:- You have mentioned two categories called love and war. But, the important two categories are Pravrutti and Nivrutti. In Pravrutti, justice is the ultimate goal. In order to arrive at justice, injustice can be used in the path if it is inevitable. Even in Nivrutti, sometimes, unjust means in the path are to be followed in order to reach God. Hence, ends justify means. But, this concept must be used with a very careful analysis of the context. I just told in the answer given to Smt. Anita (Click here to read) about two contexts. In order to reach God, one may do sin if it is inevitable as a last resort and in this context God relieves the sinner from sin by undergoing the punishment for the sake of sinner because the devotee is already prepared to go to hell and take the punishment for the sake of attaining God. In this context of Nivrutti, unfair means are not harmful. If I take another context: a sinner killed a bull and prepared a bag from its skin and presented it to God and such sinner shall not expect that his sin in killing the bull to be taken by God. Attainment of God by Gopikas has a big lot of pious background. Gopikas were Sages doing penance to reach God for millions of births in the past. Their strength of such will is unimaginable. They were born as Gopikas and in the attainment of God; they were prepared to do any sin and were ready to take any punishment for that sin. I doubt the donor of leather bag to God will be prepared to go to hell for killing the bull to prepare the bag. He is donating that bag to God with some aspiration of fruit either on the earth or in the upper world. The devotion of Gopikas was without any other aspiration on the earth or in the upper world except attainment of God Krishna (Ihā'mutra phalavirāgaḥ…- Śaṅkara).

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